NEW BOOK OF 

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY 

Parlor Tricks and Gaines 

Simple! 

Wonderful! 

Astonishing! 

FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PUBLISHED BY 
WEHMAN BROS., 126 PARK ROW, 
NEW YORK. 



Copyright, 1905, by Wehman Bros. 



iUN IS 1905 



WEHMAN BROS.' 

LETTER WHITER 

FOE LADIES AI^D GSNTLEMEN. 

PRIGE, 2S CENTS, 



This is the first time that a book has been published that plain* 
ly teaches how to write a letter. It shows clearly all the blunders 

Riid mistakes apt to be made by an inexperienced writer, and makes 
manifest, in the simplest way, the proper method of avoiding and 
j-ectifying such blunders and mistakes, whether they occur in the 
spelling, the punctuation, or the grammar. Tliis book explains all 
the details of currespondence, whether relating to the form, the 

penmanship, the directing, folding, 
and sending of a note or a letter. 
There are in this book valuable hints 
about Love, Courtship and Marriage, 
showing in what style lovers should 
indite epistles. There are given all 
the various letters that arise in the 
course of business: Asking for mon- 
ey, requesting time, enclosing remit- 
tance, asking assistance, reason for 
refusal, from tenants to landlords 
on different subjects, with landlords' 
replies. Then- and this is a very 
Important feature— there is shown 
the legal importance of a letter; and 
explanations are given upon the ex- 
act meaning of expressions used in 
writing that may be brought into 
court in litigations. It also contains 
the art of abbreviating writing, so that any one can, with practic, 
write with the rapidity of the shorthand writer. In fact, the fol- 
lowing persons all require this book: Young ladies and young gen- 
tlemen, wives and husbands, widows and bachelors, farmers and 
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Bros.' Universal Letter Writer" woiild prove an invaluable com- 
panion. There is nothing worth knowing in any other letter writer 
not to be found here, while there are many things of importance 
liere not to be found in any other book, l^otwithstandiug all these 
good points, it is only 25 Cents a copy, and is sent at that price, 
postpaid, to any part of the United States or Canada. 

ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

WESHMAIff BROS.^ 

126 PARK ROW, NEW YOBKr 




TRICKS 



The Disappearing Egg* 

By Adrian Plate. 

The following trick, easy of execution, produces a charm- 
ing and complete illusion : 

Prepare a small, thin silk handkerchief as follows : Have 
one corner double and sufficiently large to contain a blown 
egg. Place the shell in this corner pocket and sew it up. 
Next wrap the handkerchief very tightly and smoothly 
around the shell and put a thread around it to keep it in place. 

Before you commence the trick lay it behind a plate on 
which are a few real eggs. 

It can also b6 concealed on the body, the true object 
being to change it later with a real egg. 

Pick up one of the eggs and also a piece of white paper. Let 
both articles be examined and when returned proceed to 
wrap the egg in the handkerchief. Under cover of the paper, 
however, the little parcel is wrapped up and the real egg 
palmed (to be got rid of later). Let somebody feel that the 
egg is really inside of the paper. 

Now with the wand the egg is crushed. Tear a small 
hole in the paper and pull the handkerchief slowly out and 
show it freely. 

Now, it is very likely that somebody will remark that the 
broken egg shell remains in the paper. Pretend to be em- 
barrassed, but freely show paper empty and your audience 
will wonder how this all can be done. 



2 



TRICKS 



Ghost Rings'': A Pretty Party Trick. 

This is a trick that is a very effective one to give at a party 
and, although it appears very strange to the spectators when 
well performed, still it is most simple. Take a pasteboard 
hat box and cut a circular hole four or five inches in diame- 
ter in the centre of the cover. Get two pads of blotting 




RAP THE BOX SHARPLY ON BOTH SIDES. 



paper, each composed of six or eight pieces. Place the box 
on a table facing tho company and tell them that you are 
about to make some ghosts for them — one for each. 

Take the pads of blotting paper into another room and 
then pour on one a small quantity of muriatic acid and on 
lie other a similar quantity of aqua ammonia, both of which 



TRIOKS 



3 



you can get very cheaply at any drug- store. Be very carefu] 
to keep the two pads from touching each other. Carry them 
into the room and put them in the box one on top of tlie 
other, clapping on the cover of the box at once. The box 
will immediately become filled with a thick white cloud. 

Now turn the box over so that the hole in the cover is 
pointed directly at one of the party. Tap the box sharply 
on both sides at the same time with your hands and. a ghost- 
ly white ring will come out of the hole and float directly at 
the person in front of it. By shifting the position of the 
box, and aiming the hole at different ones, you can send one 
of , these rings at each person in the room. They will be 
greatly surprised, and will dodge and try to get out of the 
way, as a general rule. 

By renewing the supply of chemicals on the pads of blot- 
ting paper, you can afterward amuse the company by taking 
turns at projecting these rings at a door knob, or some other 
prominent object, stringing several of them upon it before 
they melt away and disappear. If two of the rings should 
knock together in the air, they would bend and straighten 
out again without losing their form, just as an elastic body 
of more solid material. — New York Herald. 



The Invisible Candle. 

You undertake to place a lighted candle in such a position 
that it shall be visible to every person save one, such person 
not to be blindfolded or prevented from turning about in any 
manner he pleases. 

This is done by you placing the candlestick upon the head 
of the person who is not to see it. 



4 



TRIOKS 



Home-made Ping-Pong. 

Full Directions for Manufacturing and Playing the 
Fascinating Game of Table Tennis. 

Of all the indoor games that the writer has tried — and he 
has tackled about all of them — none has proved such jolly 
good fun as table tennis, or as the English call it, "Ping- 
Pong." 




A first-class Ping-Pong outfit with two rackets that are 
perfect little tennis rackets on a small scale, will cost about 
$4 at the shop. When it comes to a very cheap set you can 
probably make at home just as good an outfit and maybe 
better. 

First, as to the rackets. In England the kind most fa- 
vored have centres of parchment like a drumhead, from 



TRIOKS 



5 



which the ball rebounds with that humming ping-pong 
sound which gives the game its name. 

The writer prefers the string racket. Pieces of rattan 
soaked a while in steaming hot water to make them very 
supple make good racket frames. A wooden handle, hol- 
lowed out at the end with, grooves for the rattan frame to fit 
in, is simply constructed, as shown in the diagram above. 
In stringing, the string used on a banjo would be about right. 
Two strings for each racket should be enough. 

These strings should be thoroughly soaked and then used 
while still wet. Do not string too tight, for if you do, when 
the strings dry and shrink they will pull the frame all out 
of shape. String first across and then up and down exactly 
as in a regulation racket. In making a support for your net 
a couple of yards of heavy telegraph wire will answer. Take 
each length and double and bend into shape shown in the 
diagram. This of itself may not be quite stanch enough to 
hold the net taut, but by running a cord from the top of one 
wire support down and under the table to the top of the 
other support, you should be able to obtain the necessary 
amount of rigidity. The net itself should be about six 
inches high from the table and should clear the table by 
enough to allow the ball to pass easily under it. Any ma- 
terial will do for the net though a gauze or netting of some 
kind bound at the top with an inch or two of white tape is 
best. As to the table itself, it should be simply a smooth 
and flat surface about 5 x 10 feet, or, say, 4x8 feet. 

The game is played exactly as tennis is played, except that 
there is but one court on either side of the net. If the ball 
strikes the very edge of table and so bounces off in such a 
way that a return is impossible, call it an " edger," and serve 
over again. 



6 



TRICKS 



The method of scoring is the same as in tennis. One rule 
of the old game which is barred because of the narrow 
bounds is volleying. A ball can never be returned, except 
on the bounce. Pickups, however, are allowable. Another 
strict ruling of Ping-Pong is that no overhand strokes are 
allowed ; the hand must never be raised above the height of 
the elbow. Also, the serve must be delivered from a point 
beyond the end of the table. 

The tennis experts and all-round athletes have devised a 
new sort of racket that makes of this parlor game a rather 
strenuous and exciting affair. 

The racket is simply a wooden paddle of about the same 
outside dimensions as the ping-pong strung racket ; that is 
about six inches in diameter — roughly speaking — the handle 
being of any desired length. 

The paddle part is not of one piece with the handle, as it 
would break or split too easily. The handle is spliced on. 
The paddle — on one side or both — according to how you 
play, is covered with emery cloth or paper glued on carefully. 
With this rough surface you can cut the ball or give the 
" Lawf ord " stroke in splendid fashion. 

As to balls, the best are those made of celluloid, which can 
be bought at any sporting or toy store for a few cents apiece. 

This Ping-Pong is really a great game and we think it has 
come to stay. — St. Louis Glohe-Democrat. 

Animal Magnetism* 

As a display of your extraordinary will power, you can 
remove your canary from its cage, and mesmerise it in front 
of your audience. 

To do this, it is only necessary to lay the little creature 



TRIOKS 



7 



upon the table and wave a small feather over its eyes, 
when it will appear to go off into a dead sleep; then by 
simply removing the feather it will revive and come to life 
again. 

While in this apparent trance, allow the bird to lay hold 
of the stem of the feather with its claws, and it will twist 
and turn about, or it may be rolled along the table without 
any attempt to fly away. This remarkable trick should be 
made much of, and by a series of passes all round the bird, 
pretend that the experiment is really the outcome of animal 
magnetism. 

A Curious Illusion, 

A curious trick may be performed by means of two coni- 
cal bodies and a couple of walking-sticks. Take two lamp 
shades and fasten the edges together. Then make an in- 
clined plane by means of two walking-sticks in the manner 
shown in our illus- 
tration. Let the space 
between the two sticks 
be wider at the higher 
than at the lower end. 
Then place the double 
cone at the bottom of 
the incline, and it 
will roll to the top. 
Although at first sight 
the trick suggests a disturbance of the natural law of 
gravitation, it is only an adaptation of that well-known 
principle. As the sticks widen the cone is correspondingly 
depressed, and the centre of gravity is equally lowered. 




8 



TRIOKS 



The Dancing Skeleton. 

This is certain to cause much astonishment if well arranged 
beforehand. Get a piece of board, about the size of a large 
school slate, and have it painted black. The paint should be 
what is known as a dead color, without gloss or brightness. 
Sketch out the figure of a skeleton on a piece of cardboard, 
and arrange it after the manner of a jumping-jack, so that by 
holding the figure by the head in one hand and pulling a 
string with the other, the figure will throw up its legs and 
arms in a most ludicrous manner. Make the connection of 
the arms and legs with black string, and let the pulling string 
be also black. Then tack the skeleton by the head to the 
blackboard. The figure having been cut out it must be 
painted black to match the board. Now to perform : Pro- 
duce the board; show only the side upon which there is 
nothing. Eequest that the lights may be lowered slightly, 
and take up your position a little way from the audience. 
With a piece of white chalk make one or two attempts to 
draw a figure ; rub out your work as being unsatisfactory, and 
turn the slate round. The black figure will not be perceived 
on account of the board being the same color. Eapidly 
touch the edges of the cardboard figure with chalk, filling up 
the ribs, etc., at pleasure, taking great care that nothing 
moves while the drawing is progressing. Then manipulate 
your fingers in front of the drawing and command it to be- 
come animated, when by secretly pulling the string attached 
to the skeleton with your foot it will of course kick up its 
legs and throw its arms about, to the astonishment of tha 
company. A little soft music from the piano will greatly 
assist the illusion. 



TRIOKS 



9 



The Floating Corfcs^ 

The requirements for this trick are seven wine corks (not 
tapering but of cylindrical form) and a basin of water. The 
object is to make the seven corks float ^opright in the water 
without weighting them in any 



way. 

If the corks be taken singly 
the trick is impossible; but if 
they be gathered into a bundle, 
and in that position grasped 




with both hands, held under 

water for a moment, so as to get well wetted, and then 
brought slowly back to the surface, the bundle will float up- 
right, as shown in illustration, the several corks which com- 
pose it being held together by a sort of capillary attraction. 

Restoring the Cut Thread. 

Get a couple of pieces of thread about the same length. 
Eoll one piece up arid put it between the thumb and first 
finger low down so that it does not show ; this should be done 
while out of the room. Walk in with the other piece in your 
hand, and ask somebody to cut it into eight pieces. When 
they have done this, burn the ends to show that it is in 
pieces. Then roll it up again, and start talking to the peo- 
ple so as to take their attention away from what you are 
doing. Drop the cut piece, and bring out the piece that was 
secreted between your thumb and finger. Pull it out full 
length, and they will be astonished to see what they think is 
in pieces, all in one. 



10 



TRIOKS 



Invisible Photographs. 

Imagine a piece of ordinary writing paper with not a trace 
of anything upon it, and nothing suspicious about it, dip it 
in water, hold it up to the light, and a perfect photographic 
transparency appears. As soon as the paper is dry the image 
has disappeared, and nothing but an ordinary piece of paper 
remains, but a paper having the power to turn itself into a 
transparency as often as you wet it. Do you not see the 
possibilities of fun with such invisible photographs? 

But how is it done ? Let me reveal the secret. Select 
an unsized, soft paper; float it upon a solution of gelatin, 
about ten grains to the ounce, for five minutes; then immerse 
it for twenty or thirty seconds in the following solution: 
Ammonium bichromate, 120 grains; water, 6 ounces. Dry 
again. The paper will now have a yellowish tinge. Print 
in daylight until a well-defined brown image is visible, a 
little longer than if using printing out paper. Wash in warm 
water to dissolve out the soluble gelatin. Add to the water 
carbonate of soda to the strength of ten grains to the ounce, 
and allow it to soak for an hour or two until the yellow tint 
of the paper has disappeared. Dry the paper and you will 
find tha-t it looks like an ordinary sheet of white paper. Ex- 
amine it, hold it up to the light and nothing can be seen ; but 
if it is dipped in water and held up to the light the image 
will appear. The secret is that the image is formed of in- 
soluble gelatin which remains comparatively opaque when 
the paper is wet, whereas the other parts, containing no gela- 
tin, become almost transparent. When dry the whole sheet 
is equally opaque. If you use a wand and "patter " a little 
about the magic properties of the wand and your own power 



XRIOKS 



11 



over the forces of nature, you can have considerable fun, 
being careful to know exactly what pictures you intend pro- 
ducing. — St. Louis Globe- Democrat. 

A Laughmaker* 

Tlie laughmaker does not look very funny on paper because 
he is still, but just wait until you have made the real thing and 
he moves about ! Then he will account to you for his name. 

All you want is a piece of cardboard to make the round 
body. Get a piece 10 by 7 inches. Fasten the ends together 
with gum or paper 
fasteners and make 
two holes in the sides 
wherein to stick two 
cardboard arms with 
hands on them. These 
are easily made. Next 
cover the bottom of the 
cardboard funnel with 
a round piece of calico, 
gumming it on secure- 
ly. Now draw or paint 
a funny face on the 
outside, and drop a big 
marble — as big a one 
as you can find — into 
the inside, and put 
the laughmaker on the table. Very slightly slant the table, 
so that the marble rolls about, and the movements then of 
the laughmaker are so extremely ridiculous that perhaps 
even the cat will laugh. 




12 



XRIOKS 



The Magic Coin Box^ 

Take an ordinary large ske wooden pill box and carefuUy 
blacken it inside and out with enamel. If enamel is not 
procurable, ink will answer the purpose, if it is applied sev- 
eral times, so as to give a deep black. Then take a fifty- 
cent piece and cover it on one side with paper, gummed on 
securely, so as not to peel off at the critical moment, and 
afterward enamelled black to match the box. You now have 
all the appliances necessary for your trick. Precaution 
should, however, be taken to see that the coin fits your 
pill box exactly. You ask some one in your audience to lend 
you a fifty-cent piece, which you put in your pocket and sub- 
stitute for it the prepared coin, taking care to conceal the 
black side from your audience. You then place the coin in 
the box, and put the lid on. In order to show that the coin 
is inside, you shake the box up and down, when, of course, 
the com rattles. You then place the box on the table, and 
wave your hands over it, uttering a cabalistic formula and 
presto ! you say the coin is gone. You take the box up and 
shake it vigorously, sideways, but, of course, no sound is 
heard. When you take the lid off and disclose an appar- 
ently empty box (the black disc on the coin appearing to be 
the bottom of the box), even the sceptics in your audience 
are non-plussed. But without waiting too long you put the 
lid on the magic pill box again, and place it on the table. 
Then carelessly putting your hands in your pocket (an artful 
move to get hold of tlie borrowed coin) you confess to an 
ardent desire to recover the missing coin, which, of course, is 
easy enough if you reverse the performance described above. 

An even more startling development can be introduced by 



TRICKS 



13 



using a third coin, which should previously be placed in 
some distant part of the room underneath a vase or book so 
that when you have apparently made the coin disappear from 
the box, you can surprise the lender by asking him to look 
under the clock or some other unexpected nook, and when 
the coin is discovered there, every one is astonished and your 
reputation as a conjurer goes up a marked extent. 

A Match Trick. 

Slit a match at the undipped end and cut another match 
on the slant. Place one of them within the other so as to 
form an acute angle and 
set them thus joined a- 
straddle of a knife blade. 
The matches must be 
kept with the phosphor- 
ous ends lightly touching 
the table. They must 
not be allowed to move 
away from its surface. 
Much to your astonish- 
ment perhaps the first 
time you make the ex- 
periment and to the am- 
azement of those that 
witness it, the matches 
will begin to march along the blade. It seems for all the 
world like a spontaneous movement, but the explanation is 
very simple. It is due to the unconscious muscular move- 
ment of the hand that holds the knife. The hand must be 
pressed hard upon the table, for if it were laid there lightly 
no muscular movement would take place. 




14 



TRIOKS 



The Balanced Coin. 

The requirements for this trick are an ordinary hairpin, 
a long steel pin, such as ladies use to keep the hats in posi- 
tion, a five -cent piece, and a finger- 
ring, about equal to it in weight. 

You are required, by the aid of the 
other two articles, to balance the coin on 
the point of the hat pin. 

Bend the hanpin into the form shown 
in illustration. Use the narrow loop of 
this as a clip to hold the coin, bending 
the wire closer and closer till you have 
the coin secure. Hang the ring on the 
hook at the opposite end of the wire, 
and then proceed to balance it as shown 
in the illustration. Several trials will 
probably be necessary before you are 
able to ascertain the precise point at which to apply the pin ; 
but, this once found, you may even set the coin spinning by 
gently blowing upon the ring, without destroying its equi- 
librium. 

The Disappearing Coin. 

The apparatus required for this trick is a newspaper, a 
glass tumbler, a cone of paper rolled round to fit the glass, 
and a borrowed coin, all of which are laid upon the table, as 
in illustration. 

Before presenting the trick a little preparation is neces- 
sary. First take the tumbler and moisten the edge of it 
with gum, then press the glass upon a sheet of newspaper, 





TRIOKS 



15 



so that the gummed edge adheres to it ; now trim the paper 
so that the mouth of the tumbler is completely covered with 
a circular disc, and if the glass is turned upside down upon 
the sheet of newspaper it appears quite empty and unpre- 
pared. 

You borrow a coin, which place on one side ; now cover the 
glass with the cone of paper and place it over the coin ; tell 
everybody to watch you closely, count one, two, three, and 



quickly raise the cone, when the coin will have apparently 
vanished, although it is merely hidden by the covering of 
paper fastened over the mouth of the glass. 

To cause the reappearance of the coin, you replace the 
cone, pronounce some unintelligible exclamation, and lift the 
glass and cone away together, thereby exposing the hidden 
coin. 

This is a trick which is very puzzling, and can be per- 
formed over and over again without any one seeing how it is 
worked. If two or more glasses similarly prepared are used, 
many mysterious variations can be easily invented, and will 
make quite a little entertainment in themselves. 




I' 




16 



TRIOKS 



A Peculiar Number. 

Aeithmetical Puzzle. 

Eequired, a number of six digits, of such nature that if 
you transfer the first figure on the right hand (7) to the oppo- 
site end of the row, the number as thus altered will be five 
times the original number; or if you transfer the first figure 
on the left hand (1) to the opposite end, the resulting num- 
ber shall be three times the original number. If, again, 
you transfer the first three (or last three) figures to the oppo- 
site end, the result will represent six times the original 
number. 

Solution. — The required number is 142,857, which if 
multiplied by 5 is 714,825; if multiplied by 3 is 428,571, 
or^if multiplied by 6 is 857,142. 

Formidable as the problem may appear, the result is read- 
ily obtained by means of a simple equation, as follows : 

The figure which occupies the units place in the original 
number being 7, let = the remaining part of the number 
(the other five digits). The 10 a? -J- 7 will be the required 
number. When the 7 is transposed to the left-hand end of 
the row, the new number will be represented by 700,000 
-|- Xy and by the terms of the problem this latter number is 
five times the former — i.e. : 

700,000 X = 5 {10 X 7) 
= 50 + 35 
OT 49 X =z 700,000 - 35 = 699,965 
Then x = 14,285 
And 10 X -\- 7 = 142,857 — the required number. 
Multiplication by 3 and by 6 proves that this number also 
answers the remaining conditions. 



TRICKS 



17 



To Name all the Cards in the Pack in 
Succession. 

This is an old trick, but a very good one. To perform it, 
you must arrange the cards of a whist pack beforehand, ac- 
cording to a given formula, which forms a sort of memoria 
technia. There are several used, but all are similar in effect. 
The following is one of the simplest : 

" Eiglit kings threatened to save, 
Ninety -five ladies for one sick knave." 

These words suggest, as you will readily see, eight, king, 
three, ten, two, seven, nine, five, queen, four, ace, six, knave. 
You must also have a determinate order for the suits, which 
should be red and black alternately, say, diamonds, clubs, 
hearts, spades. Sort the pack for convenience into the four 
suits, and then arrange the cards as follows : Take in your 
left hand, face tcjnvard, the eight of diamonds, on this place 
the king of clubs, on this the three of hearts, then the ten of 
spades, then the two of diamonds, and so on till the whole 
of the cards are exhausted. This arrangement must be made 
privately beforehand, and you must either make this the first 
of your series of tricks, or (which is better, as it negatives 
the idea of arrangement) have two packs of the same pattern, 
and secretly exchange the prepared pack, at a suitable oppor- 
tunity, for that with which you have already been perform- 
ing. Spread the cards (which may previously be cut any 
r umber of times), and offer them to a person to draw one. 



18 



TRICKS 



While he is looking at the card glanco quickly at the card 
next above that which he has drawn, which we will suppose 
is the live of diamonds. You will remember that in your 
memoria tcchnica "five" is followed by "ladies" (queen). 
You know then that the next card, the one drawn, was a 
queen. You know also that clubs follow diamonds: ergo 
the card drawn is the queen of clubs. Name it, and request 
the drawer to replace it. Ask some one again to cut the 
cards, and repeat the trick in the same form with another 
person, but this time pass all the cards which were above the 
card drawn below the remainder of the pack. This is 
equivalent to cutting the pack at that particular card. 
After naming the card drawn, ask if the company would like 
to know any more. Name the cards next following the card 
already drawn taking them one by one from the pack and 
laying them face upward on the table, to show that you have 
named them correctly. After a little practice, it will cost 
you but a very slight effort of memory to name in succession 
all the cards in the pack. 



The Indian Duck Trick. 

A little tin or earthen pan, or sometimes a half cocoanut 
shell, supported on three stones, is filled with water, on 
which is sprinkled a red powder, rendering it practically 
opaque. A little duck of wood or porcelain is placed upon 
the surface, where it at first floats, but at the command of 
the performer suddenly dives, remaining submerged until 
again ordered to rise. This very ingenious trick depends 
upon the fact that in the bottom of the vessel there is a mi- 
nute hole, through which passes a hair. One end of this is 
attached to the duck : the other remains at the disposal of 



XRIOKS 



19 



the performer, and is attached, by means of a pellet of wax, 
to his tom-tom or to one of the hands with which he beats 
it. When he wiMies the duck to dive he pulls the hair; 
when he desires it to rise, he relaxes the pull. There is 
naturally some amount of leakage through the pinhole, and 
to cover this the performer takes care, when filling the pan^ 
accidentally ( ?) to spill a little water. The ground being 
thus already wetted, the fact that it gets a little more is not 
noticed. — Chambers' Journal. 

The Latest Cigarette Vanish. 

An effective impromptu trick of vanishing the cigar or 
cigarette that you are smoking may be welcome to our read- 
ers, and therefore we present the modus operandi. Hold the 
cigarette in a perfectly natural attitude between the first and 

second fingers of the right hand, 
with the liglited end pointing 
outward, as in the first illustra- 
tion. Now place the left hand 
covering the back of right, as if 
you were going to remove the 
cigarette ; but under cover of this movement, the right-hand 
fingers must be bent toward the palm until the unliglited 
end of the cigarette can be gripped by 
the base of the thumb (see second 
illustration). The fingers should 
then be straightened and opened 
out, leaving the cigarette thumb- 
palmed, while the left hand is 
carried away as if containing the cigarette, which can 
be vanished and produced according to the performer's 
fancy. 





TRIOKS 



21 




The Balanced Handkerchief. 

This trick is so simple that the veriest amateur will be 
able to perform it quite easily, while it is effective enough to 
be presented upon any stage. A large 
cambric handkerchief is borrowed and 
rolled ropewise; then one end is rested 
upon the top of the finger and balanced. 
That is the effect, and this is the secret of the per- 
formance. First obtain a piece of whalebone, or fail- 
ing that a piece of stout wire about twenty inches 
long. To the end of this fix a fish 
hook, and then push this piece of 
apparatus up the left sleeve. Take 
the borrowed handkerchief by the corners 
diagonally, and twist it round in the 
form of a rope ; then attempt to 
balance it upon the first finger 
of the left hand. This first at- 
tempt will of course be unsuc- 
cessful and the handkerchief 
will drop down to the position 
indicated in the first illustration, 
top corner of the handkerchief between the thumb 
and first finger of the right hand, and hook it to 
the top of the piece of whalebone protruding from 
the top of your sleeve ; drag this through your left 
hand so that the handkerchief hides the apparatus 
(see second illustration). 
Directly the whole length 
of the support has been 
pulled out of the sleeve, 




Now take the 




22 



TRIOKS 



the handkerchief must again be twisted into a rope, which 
readily forms round the whalebone. In this condition, if 
the handkerchief is placed up on your finger-tip, it will be 
found quite easy to balance, as in the third illustration. 
The corner fixed to the hook must be at the top, thereby 
preventing the handkerchief from slipping down. The 
handkerchief can be balanced upon your nose equally well, 
and in fact a variety of suggestions will occur to the per- 
former now that he knows the secret of stiffening the square 
of cambric. Even when the whalebone is in position and 
everything ready to perform the trick, it is always advisable 
to make one or two attempts before allowing the handkerchief 
to stand upright. An additional effect may be obtained by 
passing your hand round the side and top, so as to prove the 
absence of any strings or wires. 

An Egg-and-Stick Balance^ 

Obtain a round walking-stick about three feet long by an 
mch thick, and have it grooved its entire length with a 
quarter-inch groove that should be about one-eighth of an 
inch deep. The stick should then be enamelled black all 
over, and it will look like an ordinary cane. When present- 
ing the feat, always take care to wipe the stick 
with a cloth, just to negative the idea of any 
sticky substance, and then 
lay a ball, an orange, or 
an egg in the groove, and 
you will be able to cause it 
to run either backward or forward. It is advisable to use eggs for 
this trick, as their uneven evolutions cause much merriment ; 
and it is also well to make one or two failures before being 
successful, as the audience will then think the feat is genuine. 





TRICKS 



23 



To Balance a Cone of Paper on the Nose. 

Get a rectangular piece of good stout paper about twenty 
inches by twelve, and fold it cone shape; being of consider- 
able size, it can be very easily balanced on the nose with the 
narrow end downward. It is a well-known fact in balancing 
that the greater the difference in the size between the top and 
bottom of the object to be balanced, the easier it is to per- 
form. An additional effect may be obtained by lighting the 
paper at the top and continuing to balance it until it has 
burned right down. 

A very pretty way of concluding this admirable trick is 
performed by secretly obtaining possession of a packet of 
collapsible flowers ; this is easily accomplished by concealing 
them underneath your waistcoat, and when all eyes are 
watching the burning cone, just pull them down into the 
hand. When the paper cone has nearly burned down to 
your nose take the remaining portion in your hands and 
while smothering the flames release the flowers and throw 
them up in the air. As they gracefully descend to the floor 
the performer always receives a round of applause, and this 
is a very pretty and effective finale to a conjuring entertain- 
ment. 

The collapsible flowers mentioned above are made of 
tissue paper with a steel spring, which causes them to 
expand when released from the piece of cotton tied round 
them, and they can be obtained through Tricks. While 
smothering the flame, just break the cotton with your finger- 
nail and thus effect their release. 



24 



TRIOKS 



The Bottle Conjurof, 

State to the company that it was proved some years 
ago, at the Olympic Theatre, that to crawl into a quart 
bottle was an impossibility ; but the rapid progress made 
by the march of intellect in these enlightened times, has 
proved that any person MAY crawl into a pint bottle as 
easily as into his bed. Having thus prefaced your inten- 
tions, you get a pint bottle, and place it in the middle of 
of the room ; then go outside the door, and creeping into 
the room upon all fours, say, "Ladies and gentlemen, this 
is crawling IN to the pint bottle ! " 

To Name Top Card. 

The Cards Having been Freely Shuffled, and Cut 
INTO Three or Four Heaps, to Name the Top Card of 
Each Heap. — Note the bottom card of the pack, which we will 
suppose to be the nine of diamonds. Shuffle the cards so as 
to bring this card to the top, and palm it. Then remark, 
"But perhaps you would ratlier shuffle for yourselves," and 
hand the pack to some one of the company for that purpose. 
When the pack is returned, replace the card on the top, and 
continue, placing the pack on the table : " You observe that I 
do not meddle with the cards in any way. Now will some 
one be good enough to cut them into two, three, or four 
parts, when I will at once name the top card of each." To 
do this you must take especial notice where the upper part 
of the pack is placed, as you know that the top card of this 
particular heap is the nine of diamonds. Placing your finger 
gravely, not on this, but on one of the other lieaps, you say, 
appearing to reflect, "This is the nine of diamonds." We 
will suppose that it is in reality the queen of spades. You 



TRICKS 



25 



take it in your hand without allowing the audience to see it, 
and, noticing what it is, at once touch the top card of an- 
other heap, saying, "And this is the queen of spades." 
Glancing in like manner at this card, which is, say, the 
seven of clubs, you touch another card, and say, "This is the 
seven of clubs." We will suppose that this third card is 
really the ace of hearts. You conclude, taking up the card 
you have all along known (the real nine of diamonds), "And 
this last is the ace of hearts." Then, throwing all four on 
the table, show that you have named them correctly. 

This trick should be performed with considerable quick- 
ness and vivacity, so as not to give the audience much time 
for thought as you name the cards. It is further necessary 
that the spectators be well in front of you, and so placed that 
they cannot see the faces of the cards as you pick them up. 

How to Make a Telephone. 

The best way to make a simple telephone is to procure two 
round, medium-sized tin baking-powder boxes, and remove 

the bottoms with a 
pair of pinchers; then 
soak two pieces of 
Whatman's drawing- 
paper, or any other 
strong paper, in a basin 
of water for a few 
moments, and when 
thoroughly wet take 
them out and place one 
smoothly over the end 
of each box. Fasten these down by winding a waxed cotton 
twine securely over the paper. and box, and tying it tightly 




Fig. a. Fig. b. 



26 



TRICKS 



(Fig. A). This done, allow the drums to become wholly 
dry, when they should be firm, even, without wrinkles. 
Next cut away that portion of the paper which stands out, 
frill-like, beyond the string, and paste a narrow strip of paper 
around over the twine (Fig. B). Wax a piece of string of 
the desired length and with a large needle or pin carefully 
punch a hole in the centre of each drum; thread one end of 
the waxed string through one of the holes, and make a large 
knot in the end, then cautiously pull the string until the 
knot rests on the inside surface of the paper. Connect the 
other box to the string in like manner, so that the twine will 
have a box fastened to each end. 

The telephone is now ready for use; and if the distance is 
short, the line may be stretched taut from point to point. 
But should the space be great, supports will be needed and • 
loops must be made of the twine and fastened at intervals 
on trees, corners of the houses, or any available points with 
connecting cord passed 
through these loops 
(Fig. C), which act as 
supports. Keep the 
course of the waxed 
string as straight as pos- 
sible, and, as far as 
practicable, avoid sharp 

angles. This style of telephone we know, from personal ex- 
perience, works perfectly at the distance of fifty yards, and 
doubtless it will do as well when the line is stretched much 
farther. Be particular in selecting the tin baking-powder 
boxes to have them round and even; if they are old 
and battered they will not prove satisfactory. — Winner's 
3faqazine. ^ 




TRIOKS 



27 



A Nocturnal Surprise, 

This is a very clever contrivance, calculated to cause con- 
sternation and astonishment to any average-nerved individual. 

Supposing yourself to be the victim, 
how would you feel, if, when retiring to 
bed in some strange establishment, just 
as you were thinking of blowing out the 
candle, it should suddenly explode with 
no small report, the light be extinguished, 
and in place of the tlame a small ghost 
with outstretched arms should appear, 
shining with a phosphorescent glow ? I 
venture to thmk you would be very, very 
much surprised ; and yet this is the efi'ect 
produced by this ingenious construction. 

By examination it will be found that 
the lower half of the candle is really- a 
thin cardboard case, 
enamelled to re- 
semble a wax candle, 
and containing a 
small ghost whose arms fly apart when 
released from their bondage. To the bot- 
tom of this ghost is affixed a wire spring. 

The upper half of the candle is per- 
fectly ordinary, ^nd merely stuck on 
to the lower portion; the joint being hid 
by a rubbing of wax. 

On top of the ghost's head a few gun- 
powder caps, such as are supplied at toy 
shops for cliildren's pistols, are laid. 





28 



TRIOKS 



Now the candle can be liglited, and it will bum quite re- 
spectably until it reaches the caps, which by their explosion 
cause anybody's attention to be drawn in that one direction, 
just in time to see the appearance of the ghost, it being 
forced upward simultaneously with the discharge by the ac- 
tion of the spring. The wicked little image should be liber- 
ally coated with luminous paint, and the efiect can be better 
imagined than described. Any little difficulty presenting 
itself to the reader's mind will be immediately dissipated 
upon reference to the drawings. 

The Watery Knife. 

Pass an ordinary knife for examination, and then tell the 
audience that by sheer strength of your wrist you will cause 
a stream of water to flow from the blade. 

Having received the knife back, with the assurance that it 
is entirely devoid of preparation, you proceed to squeeze the 
handle until water is seen to be trickling down the blade. 

Previous to performing this startling trick, a sheet of tis- 
sue paper or a little cotton must be thoroughly soaked in water, 
and then this small wad of wet material must be secreted 
behind your ear. 

Directly the knife has been returned to you, it must be 
grasped in the hand, while your arm is crooked upward so 
that your hand containing the knife rests upon your ear, and 
you then request anybody to place then first finger upon the 
joint of your elbow. « 

This peculiar request effectually masks the operation of 
securing the wad of paper or cotton, therefore all that remains 
to be done is to squeeze the wet out, allowing it to trickle 
down the knife, afterward secretly slipphig the paper into 
your pocket while the spectators are examining the knife. 



The Jumping Egg: A Party Trick* 

Here is a clever trick by which the amateur magician, 
having taken a little practice, should be able to entertain 
guests. It is clean and is adapted for the parlor or the gar- 
den ; perhaps it is a little better for out of doors. 

You will carry with you when you go to entertain those 
assembled the requisites for the following trick: You will 
show the company a small tin pail, that will hold about two 




quarts of water. Pass it around among them, that they may 
assure themselves that it has no false bottom, is just an ordi- 
nary vessel that can be purchased almost anywhere for about 
ten centc. You will then fill it nearly full of clean water 
and place it on the iloor, that your audience may see the 
bottom of the pail. 

Now from one package you will take out a handful of 
clean, white sand. To show that it is perfectly dry you will 



30 



XRIOKS 



blow upon it and some of the grains will fly off like feather 
down. Close your hand upon the sand and place it gently 
at the bottom, on one side of the tin pail, where it will lie 
snug and nice all in a little lump. Then you remove your 
hand, wipe it off dry and take up a handful of fine brick 
dust, which you send flying off with a light breath, as you 
did the sand. If any of the guests express a desire to ex- 
amine the sand and the brick dust, let them do so, for there 
is nothing that so facilitates throwing dust in people's eyes 
as helping them to believe that they cannot be deceived. 
Now close your hand upon the brick dust and put it on the 
bottom of the pail, and ask every one to convince himself 
that the sand and brick dust are at the bottom of the pail, 
covered with water. 

You put your hand in the water and bring up some of the 
sand, which you blow upon, and it flies off as dry as it was 
before you put it in the water. You can do the same with 
the brick dust if you like. 

Then you take a magic wand and stir the water briskly, 
when the remaining brick dust will rise to the top of the 
water, upon which it will rest, forming an impenetrable cur- 
tain. Now you will produce, and show to the-company, an 
oval piece of brick, about as largo as a quail's egg and about 
that shape. Take this in your fingers, and at arm's length 
slowly deposit it at the bottom of the pail. Now you must 
begin yoiu? incantation speech, by which you coax your little 
egg, which you will have dignified by some high-sounding 
East Indian name, out of the water. It is a good plan to 
sing a weird song or get some one to play such an air for you 
on tlie piano, or if you play on a violin or flute you can make 
your own music. 

But every tew seconds make a rest in the music and in 



TRIOKS 31 

pathetic tones coax the egg to come forth. Step off a little 
further and beg mo8t pathetically that the little egg make 
the experiment a big success. Your audience will notice a 
small commotion at the bottom of the pail, when, to their 
immense astonishment, the egg will jump out into your 
hand. 

Now for the secret of the sand and the brick dust. Take 
about two quarts of sea sand, which you must make perfectly 
clean by washing it a number of times in very hot water, 
after which you dry it in the hot sun. Then you put it in 
a frying pan, with a lump of fresh lard about the size of a 
walnut, and constantly agitate it over a hot fire until the 
lard has burned away. The brick dust is treated in the 
same way. This renders them impervious to water, and, 
although there is no grease on them to the perception of the 
touch, there is enough to make the grains adhere when you 
press them in your hand as you are placing them at the 
bottom of the pail of water. 

When you draw the last handful of sand out of the water 
you must drop to the bottom of the 
bucket a stiff, strong steel spring, made 
like the illustration, which the carpet of 
brick dust on the top of the water will 
conceal from the view of your audience. 
The catch of this steel spring you have 
released by a small wedge of rock salt. 
You place the spring in the middle of 
the pail and carefully deposit the egg on it. 

During your incantation speech and the music the water 
will be dissolving the salt. The spring will be released 
and throw the egg out into your hand. — New York 
Herald. 




33 



TRIGKS 



The Magdeburg Hemispheres* 

Take two tumblers of the same size. Be careful that tliey 
fit closely when one is placed on top the other. Light a piece 
of wax candle, and place it within the tumbler on the table. 
Place on top of it a piece of rather thick paper saturated with 
water. Then place upon it the other tumbler, as in the illus- 




tration. The tumblers will be found to adhere closely. The 
candle will be extinguished, but while burning it has expanded 
tlie air contained in the lower tumbler, and this air has there- 
fore become rarefied. The exterior pressure of the atmosphere 
will fix the tumblers as closely together as the classical Mag- 
deburg hemispheres are united. It is possible to raise the 
undermost tumbler by liolding up the upper one. The paper 
may be scorched on the under side, but the success of the 
experiment is not thereby imperilled. 



33 



TRICKS 



The Triple Vanishing Billiard Balls and Glass 

Table. 

Henry Hardin. 

If you were a spectator at a performance where this trick 
was presented, it would appear to you as follows: When 
the curtain is raised, a small glass-topped table is seen stand- 
ing in the centre of the stage with three billiard balls lying 
upon it. These balls are red, white, and blue respectively, 
and are placed in a row at the front edge of the table, about 
one inch from each other. The magician now steps forward, 
and saying that he will vanish two of the balls and leave one, 
asks any one to choose which one he shall leave. We will 
suppose that he is asked to leave the red ball. He rolls up 
his sleeves, and placing his two hands over the three balls, 
he picks them all up at once, and then shows that while in 
his hands two of the balls have vanished and the red ball is 
left. The mystery of this eh'ect lies in the fact that the glass 
table can have no traps, and as the sleeves are rolled up and 
the hands do not approach the body it would seem impossi- 
ble to get rid of the two balls. However, as in most good 
tricks, the secret is simple. The ball at each end of the row 
' is a b^Jf- shell czihj^ and the center ball is the solid one. 
Tiiare is no mechai:ii;:iL^ in the t>?blc eycept two devices to hold 
the half -shells in an upright po&itaox Cn the fact that the 
half-shells do stand alore hinges the success of the trick, as 



34 



TRIOKS 



even the well-informed spectator will not think them other 
than whole balls, as he does not suppose it possible for half-' 
shells to stand alone. The device to hold the half-shell in 
position is a short piece of wire, fastened at its rear end to 
the table with the loose end toward the audience, the wire 
being flat on the table. Under the front end of this wire the 
lower edge of the half- shell is pushed, thus holding it up- 
right. Now as to the choice of color of the remaiuiug baU 
being open to selection. We will suppose the solid ball to 
be red. If red is to remain, all the artist has to do is to lay 
both shells on the ball, one on top of the other, and to show 
the other side of the ball only. If white or blue is selected, 
he puts a shell on each side of the ball and exposes the side 
desired. It is understood that the shells are one blue and 
one white. 

This trick is best adapted as an opening one, as the shells 
and ball cannot well be placed in position before the audience. 

An Artistic Card Effect* 

Separate a deck of cards into two packets, one aU red cards 
the other all black. Place the packets one on top of the other, 
thus making one pack ; now spread out from the bottom ten 
or a dozen cards, and offer them to a person to draw from, 
allowing any card to be selected. Of course a black or a red 
one will be drawn, according to the kind you have placed on 
the bottom. While the card is beuig examined cut off a por- 
tion from the top of the pack, say about a third, and allow 
the card to be replaced among these at pleasure. Allow any 
one to shuffle tliem, and yet you can easily find the chosen 
card, as it will be a different color from the others. 



XRIOKS 



35 



Telling Fortune with Dominoes* 

Lay them with their faces turned down on the table; 
shuffle them, then draw one atid see the number. 
Double six — You will receive a sum of money. 
Six-five — Going to a public amusement. 
Six-four — You will have lawsuits. 
Six-three — You will ride in a coach. 
Six-two — You will receive a present of clothing. 
Six-one — You will perform a kind act. 
Six- blank — You will suffer through scandal. 
Double five — You will soon move to another house. 
Five-four — A fortunate speculation. 
Five-three — You will be visited by a superior. 
Five-two — You will take a trip on the water. 
Five-one — A love intrigue. 
Five-blank — A funeral, but not of a relation. 
Double four — You will drink liquor at a distance. 
Four-three — A false alarm at your house. 
Four-two — Beware of thieves and swindlers. 
Four-one — Trouble with creditors. 
Four-blank — An angry friend will write. 
Double three — A sudden wedding. 
Three-two — Play at no game of chance ; you will lose. 
Three-one — A great discovery at hand. 
Three-blank — A malicious person will speak ill of you. 
Double two — You will be troubled by a jealous person. 
Two-one — You will soon mortgage some property. 
Two-blank — You will receive good tidings. 
Double one — You will find something. 
One-blank — Success in your undertaking. 
Double blank — Worst presage ; means great trouble. 



36 



TRIOKS 



The Dice Trick. 

This trick, which always astonishes people who have not 
previously witnessed it, is based upon a very simple calcula- 
tion. Few people know that dice are made and "'printed" 
on a certain plan, which is that every face with the number 
of dots on the side immediately opposite shall, added to- 




gether, make seven. This is the whole point of the trick. 
If there are two dice the total of the points on the opposed 
faces will be fourteen. 

This ascertained we may proceed and throw the dice. We 
find six, for instance, and we seize the cubes between the 
thumb and index finger (See Fig. 1). The performer 
knows at once that the total of the under faces is nine, but 
he takes good care not to show them. He quickly turns his 



TRIOKS 



37 



hand to reach the position shown in Fig. 2, but during the 
movement he has taken a " quarter turn " of the dice in his 
fingers, by slightly raising the thumb and lowering his fore- 
finger (as in No. 2). He then exhibits to his audience the 
points, eight, for instance, which the spectators think was 
the total underneath, but which is, in truth, the total of one 
of the lateral faces. 

This point established, tlie operator quickly resumes posi- 
tion No. 1, and replaces the dice in their first position by 
manipulation which is easily acquired by practice. Then he 
says, "I have just shown you that the points underneath are 
number eight, now I am going to add a point." Eequesting 
a spectator to touch the dice so as to insure the addition of 
the required unit, the operator takes his fingers .from them to 
show that he will not alter their position (No. 5) when the 
dice are taken up. The sub-total is found to be nine instead 
of eight, as before. 

It is evident that in some cases points must be subtracted 
and not added. If one has begun with twelve, for instance, 
and that the false total is shown as nine, though the true 
total is two, the performer must request an assistant to efface 
seven points instead of adding any. 

Again, there are circumstances in which the true and false 
points are equal. Thus, when the upper total is ten the lat- 
eral face against the thumb is double five ; and the false total 
will be four by the double two, while the true total will also 
be four, by three and one. So no addition or subtraction can 
be requested. In such a case one of the thousand decep- 
tions practised by the magician must be employed, and by 
simply letting the dice fall, "by accident," you may begin 
over again, and with another total. 



38 



TRIOKS 



The Running Mouse^ 

This puzzling little trick is very amusing and forms quite 
an optical illusion. The effect is to place an apparently tame 
mouse upon the back of your hand, when it will immediately 
run up it, as if to jump onto the performer's coat. In order 
to prevent the creature from attaining its object, the performer 
places his other hand upon the top of the first one, and keeps 




on doing this as long as he pleases ; all this time the mouse 
has been running upward, but has never reached the per- 
former's coat. 

Our lady readers need not be afraid of this experiment, 
because the mouse is not a real one, but merely a piece of 
cork cut to the desired shape, provided with a tail of string, 
and ears of paper or cardboard ; then the whole must be 
blackened in the flame of a candle. The mouse should be 
quite flat underneath, and must have a small hook near the 
head. The operator has a black thread about ten inches long 
attached to his buttonhole, and terminating in a small loop. 



TRIOKS 



39 



This loop must be fixed to the hook on the imitation mouse, 
and the thread tightened ; then place the animal upon the 
hack of your right hand, as low down as possible. 

Now move the hand away from your body, and the mouse, 
which in reality does not move, appears to glide over the hack 
of the hand, and just as it is about to fall on reaching the 
thumb, the left hand is passed beneath and placed in the 
same position as the right hand previously occupied; the 
same movement is repeated, and the mouse goes on as before. 

By experiment this will be found a very effective trick, 
and it can be varied in many different ways ; for instance, 
the mouse will run up a book, or along the table, and by 
proper manipulation of the thread many other motions may 
be obtained. 

Should it be desirable to pass the mouse round for exami- 
nation, the thread can be easily fixed on to the animal by 
means of a little pellet of beeswax, which can as conveniently 
be removed when not required. 

Chemical Experiments. 

A very interesting chemical experiment is as follows : Pre- 
pare two common goblets, one with a saturated solution of 
ammonia, the other with a diluted solution of mercury cut 
with hydrochloric acid. Now upon first sight both glasses 
apparently contain pure clear water. When a few drops of 
the ammonia solution is poured into the glass containing the 
mercury, it is seen to change to a blood red; a few more 
drops changes it to clear water; again adding a few drops 
and it is blood red, and so on it changes several times until 
the one glass is entirely empty and the other is completely 
filled. 



40 



TRIOKS 



A Siphon Trick. 

Emptying a Glass of Watek with a Bottle of 
Water. 

Suppose you are handed a glass full of water and a bottle 
filled with water and ask to empty the glass with the help 
of the bottle, letting the bottle remam full. 

Bore two holes through a cork in such a way that two 
pieces of straw can be fitted in air-tight. One should extend 




as long as the glass is deep, and the other end should be 
twice as long as the first. Put the cork into the bottle, as 
shown in the illustration ; close the opening of the shorter 
piece of straw with sealing wax and press the longer piece 
of straw so deep into the water that the water squirts out 
of the opening. Turn the bottle around in such a way that 



TRIOKS 



41 



the short piece of straw reaches to the bottom of the glass, 
as shown in the figure ; cut off the closed end Vith a pair of 
scissors, and the water will run out of the longer piece of 
straw until the glass is empty, the bottle remaining full. 

Blowing Out a Candle Behind a Bottle^ 

Put a lighted candle on the table, and about ten inches 
from it a quart claret bottle. Then blow on the bottle at a 
distance of eight or nine inches, on a line with the flame of 
the candle, and the light will be extinguished just as though 
there was nothing between it and your breath. The breath 
divides into two currents on the smooth surface of the bottle, 
one going right, the other left, which join each other at the 
flame of the candle. 

The Origin of Dominoes* 

Two Italian monks, committed to a lengthy seclusion, 
beguiled the weary hours of their confinement, it is said, by 
showing each other small flat stones marked with black dots. 
By a preconcerted arrangement the winner would inform th-e 
other player of his victory by repeating in an undertone the 
first line of the vespers' prayer. In process of time the two 
monks managed to complete the set of stones and to perfect 
the rules of the gartie, so that when the term of incarceration 
had expired the game was so interesting that it was generally 
adopted by the inmates of the monastery as a lawful pastime. 
It soon spread from town to town, and became popular 
throughout Italy ; and the first line of vespers was reduced 
to the single word "Domino," by which the game has ever 
since been known. 



42 



TRIOKS 



The Magic Glass. 

It is a square piece of glass perfectly plain, on which no 
drawing or any lines can be distinguished even after minute 
investigation. But if any one breathes on the surface of the 




glass, a figure such as that shown in the engraving appears. 
The figure will disappear immediately the breath has evapor- 
ated from the glass. You may wash and rub the glass, but the 
image will again appear if the plate be breathed upon. The 
explanation is simple. Obtain a square piece of glass, any size 
you choose, and draw upon it any design you choose with some 
fluor-hydric acid, which is obtained by dissolving some 
powdered fluorspar in the ordinary sulphuric acid of com- 
merce. When it is sufficiently liquefied the figure should be 
traced on the glass with a quill pen. Leave it for a few min- 
utes — five to ten at the most. Wash the glass and dry it 



TRIOKS 



43 



well. Then when it is breathed upon the figure or design 
will appear. 

A little experience will decide the length of time requisite 
for the proper production of the figure ; the acid if left too 
long will eat into the glass, and the design will remain visi- 
ble even on the dry surface. 

Trick with a Balanced Coin. 

Procure a strip of notepaper about six inches long by half 
an inch wide; lay this on the table, and stand a coin, edge 
upward, upon the paper, which should project as far as pos- 
sible over the edge of the table. 




Now challenge anybody to take the paper away without 
knocking the coin over. 

Any one unpossessed of the secret will fail to accomplish 
this, because at the slightest touch the paper will cause the 
coin to overbalance. 

The only way to do this trick is by giving the paper a 
smart hit with the back of a knife ; the paper will then be 
knocked away and tire coin left standing. 



44 



TF5IOKS 



Ice Made in a Drawing-Room. 

The following is a simple and singular method of freez- 
ing water: Take a jam jar, fill it with powdered sul- 
phate of soda, and pour on the saline material as much 
muriatic acid as will render it semi-fluid; then fill a test 
tube with water as cold as you can procure, and put it into 
the centre of the chemical mixture. Let it remain at rest 
for ten minutes or so ; finally, take out the tube and wipe it 
dry. You will find the water frozen. To get the ice out of 
the tube, dip it for an instant into warm water ; the cylinder 
of ice will then fall into your hand. The test tube can be 
procured from your druggist. 

Who Wears the Ring? 

This is an elegant application of the principles involved in 
discovering a number fixed upon. The number of persons 
participatmg in the game should not exceed nine. One of 
them puts a ring on one of the fingers, and it is your object 
to discover: (1st) The wearer of the ring; (2d) the hand; 
(3d) the finger; (4th) the joint. 

The company being seated in order, the persons must be 
numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. ; the thumb must be termed the first 
finger, the forefinger being the second; the joint nearest the 
extremity must be called the first joint; the right hand is 
one, and tlie left hand two. 

These preliminaries having been arranged, leave the room 
in order that the ring may be placed unobserved by you. 
We will suppose that the third person has the ring on the 
right hand, third finger, and first joint; your object is to 
discover the figures 3,131. 



TRIOKS 



45 



Desire one of the company to perform secretly the follow- 
ing arithmetical operations : 
1. Double the numher of the person who has the 



ring ; in the case supposed, this will produce 6 

2. Add 5 11 

3. Multiply by 5 65 

4. Add 10 65 

5. Add the number denoting the hand 66 

6. Multiply by 10 660 

7. Add the number of the finger 663 

8. Multiply by 10 6,630 

9. Add the number of the joint 6,631 

10. Add 35 6,666 



He must apprise you of the figures now produced 6,666; 
you will then in all cases subtract from it 3,535; in the 
present instance there will remain 3,131, denoting the per- 
son No. 3, the hand No. 1, the finger No. 3, and the joint 
No. 1. 

The Double Meaning* 

Place a glass of water upon the table. Put a hat over it 
and say, "I will engage to drink the water under that hat, 
and yet I'll not touch the hat." You then get under the 
table, and after giving several knocks, you make a noise with 
your mouth as if you were swallowing the water. Then get- 
ting from under the table you say, "Now, gentlemen, be 
pleased to look." Some one, eager to see if you drank the 
water, will raise the hat, when you instantly take the glass 
and drink its contents, saying, " Gentlemen, I have fulfilled 
my promise. You are all witnesses that / did not touch the 
hat." 



46 



TRIOKS 



Imitation Thunder^ 

Ask some one to place his hands over his ears and pass 
above the hands around his head a cord in the manner shown 
in the accompanying illustration. If you rub the string 
lightly between the finger and thumb, drawing the hand 
along the cord, he will • hear a loud rolling, as of thunder. 
To properly produce the desired effect some precautions are 




necessary. We will mention them. Before reaching the 
end of the string you must seize it with the other hand at 
the point of departure ; by so doing it will be possible to pro- 
long the experiment for some time. 

If you grasp the string with the nails and draw the hand 
back by jerks, you will produce short, sharp peals of thunder, 
which can be changed into rolling peals at will by continu- 
ous rubbing. 



TRIOKS 



47 



Pool Table Tricks/ 

Carom Through a Hat. 

Place a hat on the table, either a high hat or a derby (a 
curly brimmed one), the same way as you would on your 
head, and place two balls about two inches apart two feet 
from one side, and place the other ball, the one you are to 
play with, about three feet the other side of the hat, so that 
the middle of the side of the hat is in an exact line between 
your ball and the other two. The trick is to make a straight 
carom without taking the hat from the table or jumping over 
it. For example : Aim with just sufficient strength to reach 
the two balls, and just as your ball approaches the hat put 
the tip of your cue underneath the brim on the side nearest 
to yourself and tilt the hat well up on the farther brim ; just 
as the ball gets to about the spot where the brim rested let 
go. The hat will come down and raise itself on the brim 
nearest to you, and will allow the ball to pass out on the 
other side and make a carom, the difficulty of course being to 
let go the hat at the right second. 

Steeple-Chase Shot. 

There are several games on the billiard and pool table in 
which the knowledge of how to make one ball jump over 
another is extremely useful, but the fear of cutting the cloth 
deters many from making the attempt. It can be done in 
the following manner, and the cloth cannot be cut. Lay the 

*From "Fun on the Pool Table," copyrighted, 1902, by Tricks Pub- 
lishing Company. 



48 



TRICKS 



cue full length on the table ; then take the butt into the hand, 
holding it in the usual way, but so that the butt is not more 
than three inches away from the table. Place the first and 
second finger of the other hand over the cue near the tip, as 
though you were playing a ball through your fingers on the 
cushion. On no account raise the tip from the cloth, but 
drag it backward and forward along the cloth, in addressing 
the ball in the usual way. Hit moderately hard, depending 
of course on the distance you want to jump. If you hit your 
ball truly in the middle you can jump it perfectly straight. 
Of course this shot cannot be done if you are near a cushion. 

The Magic Egg. 

Take a pint of water and dissolve in it as much common 
salt as it will take up ; with this brine half fill a table glass, 
then fill up the remaining space with plain water, pouring it 
in very carefully down the side of the glass, or into a spoon 
to break its fall. The pure water will then float upon the 
brine, and in appearance the two liquids will seem as one. 
Now take another glass and fill it with common water. If 
an egg be put into this, it will instantly sink to the bottom ; 
but if, on the contrary, the egg is put into the glass contain- 
ing the brine, it will sinlv through the plain water only and 
float upon that portion which is saturated with salt, appear- 
ing to be suspended in a very remarkable and curious man- 
ner. Then place a stick into the glass and pass it rapidly 
around the egg several times, which will cause the fresh 
water to mix with the brine, and the egg will float to the 
top, and no one witnessing the trick can cause the egg to 
smk again, although challenged to do so. This trick causes 
much astonishment. 



49 



TRICKS 

An After-Dinner Trick. 

Sakgent the Merry Wizard. 

Take five toothpicks and spring them together as in illus- 
tration, and lay them on an inverted tumbler, then lay half 
a dozen more lengthwise on top of 
them to give the appearance of a 
raft. 

Now tell a story about a ship 
that was wrecked, the survivors 
building a raft like this and taking 
on board everything they could from 
the wreck. 

"One sailor sat down on a keg in one corner and lighted 
his pipe, throwing the match down carelessly and setting fire 
to the raft. (Here light a match and set fire to the corner at 
A.) Of course he did not know what was in the keg, or 
that the raft was burning. As a matter of fact, the keg was 
filled with gunpowder ! " 

Time your story so that you will reach the end just as the 
fire burns through the pomt where the toothpicks cross, and 
when the strain is removed the pieces of the raft will be 
thrown in all directions as if by an explosion. 




50 



TRIOKS 



Tricks with a Gas Jet* 

It May with Simple Means be Made to Dance, Sing, 
AND Talk. 

If yon were to say that you could make common gas dance, 
talk, sing songs, and play music, you might be laughed at, 
and yet the ordinary lighting gas can be made to do all these 
things. If you like, you can perform these and more tricks 
with gas, and you will need very simple apparatus. 

You require a pinhole burner. This you can make your- 
self if you have a blowpipe, but if not you can get it made 
easily and at a small cost. 

To make it, get a piece of glass tubing and heat it in the 
flame, then draw out the heated part until you have a tube 
as small as a pin. Break it off at its smallest part and you 
have a pinhole burner. 

Get a piece of rubber piping, which you must attach to an 
ordinary gas jet, the other end to the thick end of the glass 
tube. When the gas is forced through and lighted it will 
burn in a long, thin flame. 

If the room is quite free from draughts and all present are 
silent the flame will be steady, but if a watch is held near, 
it will wabble and flare back and forth, keeping exact time 
with the ticking of the watch. If you will call out in a loud 
voice it will leap to one side as though you had frightened 
it, and if you keep up a conversation in a loud voice it will 
dance about as though in excitement. 

To make a gas jet speak, or to cau,se it to transmit sounds 
like a telephone, you must surround the pinhole burner with 



XRIOKS 



51 



a tin tube having a small hole in one end, through which the 
burner projects a little way. The bottom of the tin tube 
must be made to connect with a speaking-tube, which may 
be in another room or on another floor. 

Speak into the tube, no matter how far away from the gas 
burner, and the sound has to escape through the hole through 
which the burner projects and is therefore forced against the 
base of the gas flame, which is always more sensitive. The 
flame will take up the wave 
sounds and magnify them so that 
the words can be heard all over 
a very large room, and if you at- 
tach a phonograph trumpet to 
the burner the sounds will be 
still more increased in strength 
and loudness. 

To prove that it is really the 
gas that does the talking, turn off 
the gas and instantly the sounds * 
cease, though the person at the 
other end of the speaking-tube 
continues his conversation. 

If you force the gas through 
a square of wire mesh, very fine 
and raised above the burner, liy holding a lighted match 
above the wire gauze the gas will burn only above it, mak- 
ing a conical flame. This, having a larger base than from an 
ordinary burner, is very sensitive. 

If you sing or play, whistle or talk on a level with this 
flame it will dance in perfect time, and you can make it per- 
form all sorts of antics by changing from whistling to sing- 
ing, or from a funeral march to a two-step. — New York Sun. 




52 



TRIOKS 



The Paper Rings. 

This little trick which we are about to explain will create 
some astonishment amongst those who have not been initiated 
in the manner of its performance ; it gives rise to some very 




interesting geometrical questions. Look at the illustration. 
Here are three paper rings, Nos. 1, 2, and 3. 

By cutting ring No. 1 with a pair of scissors, as indicated 
by the dotted lines, you will then obtain two rings, as shown 
underneath — No. 1'. The dotted line will not be in the pa- 
per bands in practice. 

Then cut ring No. 2 in the same manner; but this time 
you will be surprised to find in your hands, when you have 



TRIOKS 



53 



finished cutting round the rmg, not two rings, as at first, but 
one long ring — No. 2' — twice as large as either of the former 
rings. 

Now for No. 3. There is another surprise in store. As 
you cut the third ring you will be astonished with the result. 
You will again obtain two rings, but one will be looped in- 
side the other, as in No. 3'. Let us explain the trick. 

You must prepare paper bands 3 inches in width and 4 
feet in length. Take the first strip, cut and join its ends 
directly in the ordinary manner, as shown in Fig. 1, so that 
the same side of the paper forms the exterior of the ring all 
round. The second band (Fig. 2) is united after it has been 
twisted on itself, so that one of the ends is united with the 
opposite surface of the other extremity ; as for the thii'd band 
(Fig. 3), you must give it two turns before you unite the 
ends. Let the gum dry, and then your apparatus will be 
ready. The larger the rings are the -less apparent will be 
the turns in them. 



Card Reading. 

Any deck of cards are thoroughly shuffled and three elastic 
bands placed all around card by any one to put edges all 
evened up, yet the performer takes pack face downward in 
right hand and reads the cards off one at a time. This is 
easy to perform and hard to detect. On the riag finger of 
the right hand wear a broad bright plain ring. You can 
now see right into the ring, as it were, and easily see the 
diminished card slips, which will at once tell you the name 
of the bottom card. You will be surprised to see what you 
can do by practising this card effect. 



54 



TRIOKS 



Pyramid of Alum^ 

Put a lump of alum into a tumbler of water, and as the 
alum dissolves it will assume tiie shape of a pyramid. The 
cause of the alum decreasing in this peculiar form is briefly 
as follows : at first, the water dissolves the alum very fast, 
but as the alum becomes united with the water, the solvent 
power of the latter diminishes. The water which combines 
first with the alum becomes heavier by the union, and falls 
to the bottom of the glass, where it ceases to dissolve any 
more, although the water which it has displaced from the 
bottom has risen to the top of the glass, and is there acting 
upon the alum. When the solution has nearly terminated^ 
if you closely examine the lump you will find it covered with 
geometrical figures, cut out, as it were, in relief upon the 
mass ; showing not only that the cohesion of the atoms of 
the alum resists the power of solution in the water, but that, 
in the present instance, it resists it more in some directions 
than in others. Indeed, this experiment beautifully illustrates 
the opposite action of cohesion and solution. 

Biting Nails in Two. 

This is the greatest accomplishment of the " strong man " 
in the circus, and one that has a particular charm for the 
boys. The men who do this never use the common steel 
nails. They use cast-iron ones, whose grain makes them 
break more easily. Nor are the nails bitten in two by the 
teeth, as is commonly supposed, but they are simply broken 
by the strength of the fingers. To bite a nail in two put the 
thumb of your right hand under the nail near the middle, 
with the index finger on top of the nail at the right end. 
Then put the other end of the nail between your teeth on the 



TRIOKS 



55 



left side of the mouth. Push down sharply and strongly 
with your index finger, and crack goes the nail. If you do 
it quickly your audience will think you have bitten it off, 
but you haven't. Try this with a lead pencil, so as to get 
the knack of it, before using the cast-iron nail. 

Hqw to Sit Without Chairs, 

This amusing feat can be performed by a number of per- 
sons arranging themselves as you see them in the illustration, 




the last in the ring sitting on the knees of the first. While 
the circle is being formed it would be advisable for the first 
to be seated on a chair, which can be slipped away when the 
ring is completed. This plan was adopted by French sol- 
diers in Algeria, when they found themselves in any place 
where the soil was marshy, and where it would have been 
unwise for them to sit down on the ground. 



56 



TRIOKS 



To Lift a Man with Five Fingers* 

This is a schoolboy's pastime, and consists in one indi- 
vidual being lifted ^.nd sustained by the fingers. 

Two operators put their index fingers under the person's 
shoes, two others place their fingers under each elbow, and 




a fifth under the chin of the subject. At a given signal each 
person lifts his hand and the person is easily lifted up, as in 
the illustration. The result may seem very surprising, but 
it is only a question of the equal subdivision of weight. 
The average human being weighs about one hundred and 
fifty pounds ; so each finger has only to sustain about thirty 
pounds weight, which is not extraordinary. 



TRIOKS 



57 



The Chinese Bat* 

This is an extremely clever trick, invented by a celebrated 
Chinese magician, and as a little pocket trick, or as an ap- 
parently impromptu experiment, is to be recommended on 
account of its simplicity and effect. Obtain a piece of wood 
about one -fourth of an inch thick and trim it to the shape 
of a cricket bat. Altogether this should be about eight 
inches long. By looking at the illustration, the bat appears 




to be perforated with three holes. A, B, and C, but such is 
not the case; in reality only two holes go right through 
the wood, viz., ^5 and C ; the other one. A, only goes half- 
way. Now turn the bat over to the other side, and we see 
that the holes are in a different position, that is, the first 
hole on the right corresponds with B on the opposite side. 
C is really the hole B as it appears if you turn the bat over ; 
J) only goes half-way through, and so is similar to A. Now 
we think all is clear, and you see that on eitlier side there 
appear to be three hole J running right through the bat, al- 
though no more than two are genuine. To perform this 
trick, hold the bat by the handle, and with that side upper- 
most containing the genuine hole at the top pa»"t of the bat. 



58 



TRIOKS 



Take an oixlinary match (first removing the sulphur) and pass 
it througli the first hole, which should be of sufficient size 
as just to admit one match. Now pass the same match 
through the second or centre hole. After you have done 
this, remark : " It does not make any difference which side 
the match is passed from." You then turn the bat over and 
pass the matcli through the lower or third hole. Now what 
you have really done was to pass it througli the same hole 
again, because the first and second holes on the other side, 
are on this side of the bat the second and third. You have, 
to all appearances, passed the match through three distinct 
holes, but in reality only two, the second one being used 
twice, once from either side. Place the match half-way in 
the lower hole and allow it to remain there. State that by 
breathing on, or waving the bat in the air, the match will 
jump into the centre hole, and, sure enough, it has made its 
appearance in the second hole. This was accomplished by 
merely turning over the bat. Pull out the match com- 
pletely, show or turn bat to the other side, place match half- 
way m centre hole, again reverse bat as you wave it in the 
air, and the match will have apparently jumped to the top 
or first hole. Perhaps the simplest way of perforating the 
holes in the bat is to burn them out with a red-hot bodkin. 



The Three Almonds* 

This is propounded in the shape of a conjuring trick, usu- 
ally after two or more bona-fide tricks have been performed. 
You place three almonds on the table, and cover each with 
a borrowed hat. You make a great pomt of having nothing 



TRIOKS 



59 



concealed in your hands, and profess your willingness to al- 
low the audience, if they desire, to mark the three almonds, 
so that there can be no question of substitution. 

You then take up each hat in succession, pick up the nut 
beneath it, and eat it, replacing the hat on the table. Any 
one is at liberty to see that there is nothing left under either 
hat. You then undertake to bring the three nuts under 
whichever of the 'three hats the company may select; and 
the choice being made, you at once do so. 

How is it to be done? 

This is a very ancient "sell," but it still finds victims. 
The performer's undertaking is performed by simply putting 
on the hat selected. No one can deny that the three nuts 
are thereby brought under the hat. 

Egg Production* 

This experiment has been performed upon the stage with 
great success, and owing to its simplicity and good effects we 
have included it in our collection of tricks. 

An empty hat is placed upon the magician's table, and a 
handkerchief is shaken out and both sides shown to be de- 
void of preparation. Then from the folds of this same hand- 
kerchief the performer produces an egg, which he lets drop 
into the hat ; the handkerchief is now crumpled up, opened 
again, and another egg produced. Thus he goes on until 
some dozen eggs have been dropped into the hat, and then 
comes an additional surprise : the hat is turned upside down, 
when instead of a shower of eggs falling out, it is seen to be 
quite empty. 

The secret depends upon one solitary imitation egg, sus- 
pended by a thread attaclied to the edge of a handkerchief. 
In this condition the egg is held in one hand with that 



60 



TRIOKS 



corner of the handkerchief, and both sides are shown and 
shaken out ; then the egg is dropped behind the handkerchief, 
where it remains unseen. Dropping one corner, and hold- 
ing the handkerchief between the tips of one linger and 
thumb, the performer just lifts the egg out of one of the 




folds in which it gets concealed. Then he drops it into his 
hat, afterward picking up the handkerchief by two corners in 
such a manner that when it is lifted above the hat the egg is 
invisibly dragged behind it, and the production repeated as 
often as desired. 

To make all details quite clear, our illustration shows the 
arrangements at the moment when the egg has been removed 
by the thread, on the side opposite to the audience. 

An additional effect can be obtained by causing a flutter 
of feathers to fall from the hat when it is upturned. If this 
method of presenting the trick is adopted, a small packet of 



TRIOKS 



61 



feathers must be secretly introduced into the empty hat after 
it has been examined, or, better still, during the egg produc- 
tion. This little packet is tied round with weak cotton, 
which can be easily broken with the finger-nail, thus liberat- 
ing the feathers. Their presence must, of course, be ac- 
counted for by saying that you will hatch the eggs. 

The Captives in the Tower* 

An elderly queen, her daughter, and son, weighing 195 
lbs., 105 lbs., and 90 lbs. respectively, were kept prisoners 
at the top of a high tower. The only communication with 
the ground below was a rope passing over a pulley, with a 
basket at each end, and so arranged that when one basket 
rested on the ground the other was opposite the window 
where the prisoners were kept. Naturally, if the one were 
more heavily loaded than the other, the heavier would de- 
scend ; but if the excess on either side was more than 15 lbs. 
the descent became so rapid as to be dangerous, and from the 
position of the rope the captives could not check it with their 
hands. The only thing available to them in the tower was 
a cannon ball, weighing 75 lbs. They, notwithstanding, 
contrived to escape. How did they manage it? 

Solution. — The boy descended first, using the cannon baU 
as a counterpoise. The queen and her daughter then took 
the cannon ball out of the upper basket, and the daughter 
descended, the boy acting as counterpoise. The cannon ball 
was then allowed to run down alone. When it reached the 
ground, the daughter got into the basket along with the can- 
non ball, and their joint weight acted as counterpoise while 
the queen descended. The princess got out, and the cannon 
ball was sent down alone. The boy then went down, the 



62 



XRIOKS 



cannon-ball ascending. The daughter removed the cannoa 
ball and went down alone, her brother ascending. The lat- 
ter then put the cannon ball in the opposite basket, and low- 
ered himself to the ground. 



This is a trick for two persons, preferably a lady and gen- 
tleman. Two pieces of ribbon, each, say, a yard and a half 
in length, are required. One end of the first ribbon is to be 
tied round each of the lady's wrists, and the second ribbon 
is then in like manner secured to the gentleman's wrists, 
one end of it, however, being first passed inside the lady's 



ribbon, so that the pah are held captives, after the manner 
in illustration. To release the captives is a very simple mat- 
ter, though, like a good many tricks, it is perplexmg enough 
till you know "how it's done." 

Let the gentleman pass the bight of his own ribbon (from 
the arm outward) through the loop which encircles one of 
the lady's wrists, over the hand, and back again, when it 
will be found that they are freed from the link which united 
them. The individual bonds must, of course, be removed by 
untying in the ordinary way. 



Silken Fetters* 




TRIOKS 



63 



The Stretched Handkerchief 

The performer having borrowed a handkerchief for the 
purpose of some tricks finds, or pretends to find, that it is 
not quite large enough. He makes a show of being about to 
return it and to borrow another, but changes his mind and 
says he will make it do, if the owner will not object to his 
making it "a little larger." Permission having been granted, 
he takes it by two opposite corners, twists it ropewise, and 
presently begins, with much affectation of stretching, to 
pull it out longer. Strange to say, its length is actually seen 
to increase inch by inch until it is some forty or fifty per 
cent greater than it was at first. 

This very effective illusion rests upon an extremely slight 
foundation. Few people realize how long even a compara- 
tively small handkerchief is diagonally. Headers acquainted 
with the Forty-seventh proposition of Euclid will be able to 
work out the proportion for themselves, but we may state, by 
way of illustration, that a handkerchief twenty-four inches 
square measures, when merely laid flat, two feet ten inches 
across its diagonal, and that this length may, by stretching, 
be increased to over three feet. In taking up and twisting 
the handkerchief, the performer manages to gather up a few 
inches of "slack" into each hand, though if this is deftly 
done not one in ten of the audience will suspect that the 
handkerchief is not already stretched to its full length. 
He throws the handkerchief over and over with a sort of 
skipping-rope movement, thereby twisting it into a loose 
wisp, at the same time releasing little by little the reserve 
portion in his hands. To the eye of the spectator it seems 
that the handkerchief is growing longer and longer, the 



64 



TRIOKS 



elongation only terminating, apparently, when it has reached 
the full stretch of the performer's arms. 

The performer should make a pretence of great exertion, 
as if the handkerchief were really stretched by strong muscu- 
lar effort. Further, however much of the slack of the hand- 
kerchief be gathered up in the hands, the extreme corners 
should always remain visible ; this being accepted as a proof 
by the uninitiated that the whole of the handkerchief is seen. 

Catching the Pile of Money. 

It is managed by holding the arm back upward, the elbow 
being almost flat and the hand open, palm upward. On the 
arm, close to the joint, place the coin or coins. Perhaps one 
at first will be sufficient, in case of failure and possible loss. 
If the hand be suddenly brought down with a circular sweep, 
the pile of money — or the single coin — will be left for an 
instant in space, and be at once clasped in the palm coming 
down upon it. 

It will be found easy and possible to catch a pile of a 
dozen quarters in this way, after a little preliminary prac- 
tice, without letting one coin escape. 

Care must nevertheless be taken that no breakable articles 
are in front of you when you are practising, for if you do not 
succeed in catching the coins, they will be struck by the 
hand with very considerable force, and may do damage to the 
surroundings ; they also may roll out of sight. 

Q. What is the origin of the sand which is there ? 
A. Ham was sent there and his children bred (bread) and 
mustered (mustard). 



G5 



XRICKS 



Coin Trick. 

To perforin this trick you require a pocket handkerchief, 
a small coin, a hat, and a glass tumbler. You must first of 
all sew the coin (a quarter, for instance) in one corner of the 
handkerchief, and the chief part of the trick is accomplished. 
This is the way you proceed when performing : 
You produce from your pocket a handkerchief (which you 
had previously put there crumpled up with the coin in the 
corner), and then you borrow a quarter. Put this in the 
middle of the handkerchief (in reality you take the one in 
the corner and conceal the borrowed one between your fingers). 
Then you explain that the borrowed coin is still in the hand- 
kerchief, and ask a spectator to judge for himself by feeling 
the coin through the handkerchief, which has been placed 
on the table, near the edge. When this is done, you request 
somebody to put a hat over it; hold the tumbler half filled 
with water underneath the table, just under the handker- 
chief, say a few words and request the audience to remain 
silent for a few seconds. Now you drop the coin, which you 
concealed all the time in your hand, into the tumbler. We 
should advise you to hold the tumbler and coin with one hand 
while you put the other one on the hat. The only thing to 
do now is to lift the hat, take one corner of the handkerchief 
and shake it, when the astonishment of the audience will be 
great and without bounds. 



TRIOKS 



Engraving an Egg. 

During the Peninsular War, in 1808, there was found in 
the cathedral of Lisbon an egg, on the shell of which 
H-as engraven a prediction of the expulsion of the French. 
This caused considerable excitement and nearly led to a 
riot. 

The French commander caused a counter-irritant to be 
applied, in the shape of thousands of eggs, denying the pre- 
diction. 

The people did not know what to think; thousands of 
eggs denied the accuracy of one. Besides after a while 
posters were placarded on the walls giving the particulars 
and directions for working the miracle. The means are 
very simple and are as follows : 

Write your name or legend on the eggshell with beeswax 
or varnish, or even with tallow. Plunge the egg into a weak 
acid (vinegar will do) or dilute hydrochloric acid, or aqua 
fortis. Wherever the shell is not protected by the covering 
material it is decomposed, and the design stands out in relief. 
There is no difficulty in this experiment, but some precau- 
tions are necessary. 

As " blown " eggs are generally experimented upon, it will 
be necessary to close up the ends with yellow or white wax; 
and as these eggs are necessarily very light, they must be 
weighted to keep them in the acid bath, or held down with 
a glass rod. If the acid be very much diluted, the operation, 
although it will occupy more time, will be more complete. 
Two or three hours will be sufficient to bring out the tracing, 
inus vhe miracle of the sorcerer has become an amusing and 
easy experiment. 



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67 



Experiment with Dominoes, 

The illustration shows how tlie contents of a box of dom- 
inoes can be sujoported upon one of their number. We must 
begin by placing three of the pieces on the table so as to 
form a solid base ; the first dommo being laid upon tiiree 
supports. When the edifice is finished, as in the illustration. 




the two outside dominoes must be withdrawn and very gentl;j 
placed upon the top of the construction. The erection wil] 
remain m equilihrio provided that the perpendicular drawn 
from the centre of gravity of the system passes through the 
base of sustentation of the lowest domino. 

This experiment should be attempted only upon a perfetotlj 
firm and level table. 



38 



TRIOKS 



Breaking Stones with Your Fist 

By great acquired force or inertia in repose one is enabled 
to break stones with the fist. This feat is performed in the 
following manner : Tiie right hand is carefully wrapped in a 
bandage, and in the left is held a piece of flint of rounded 
form, which is placed upon a large stone or upon an anvil; 
then with the right hand strike the flint some very powerful 
blows, always taking care to raise it a little from the anvil 
when you are about to strike. Thus the object struck ac- 
quires the force of the fist that has struck it, and as it comes 
in violent contact with the anvil it is quickly broken. 
Simple as the feat is, it never fails to evoke great astonish- 
ment from the spectators. 

Thought Reading, 

The performer invites the company to write a question on 
a slip of paper and to fold it up so that the writing cannot 
possibly be seen by any one. 

He then collects the papers in a hat, and without letting 
any one see, drops into the hat a slip of paper, having previ- 
ously written a question on it and folded it in a certain way 
that he may always know the paper as his own. He now 
asks everybody to think only of the question they have writ- 
ten, and not to make the slightest sound. 

Taking any slip from the hat but his own one, he without 
unfolding it presses it to his forehead, and appears lost in 
thought for a short time. Now, saying he will answer the 
question written on the slip he holds, he says : 

"Somebody asks me — •" and then repeats and answers the 
question he has himself written, to the astonishment of every- 



TRIOKS 



body. Then unfolding the slip as if to verify that he is cor- 
rect, he reads out the question that he had written on his 
own slip (it being the one he has just answered) and takes 
careful note of the question written on the slip from which 
he is supposed to be reading. 

He goes on taking papers from the hat and answering the 
questions after the same performance, each time, of course, 
answering the question on the previous slip (which he has 
opened to verify himself). 

The performer must take great care to leave his own slip 
in the hat till the last, and should, as he finishes with the 
papers, make a heap of them, and afterward offer them for 
inspection. 

No noise or talking should be allowed during the perform- 
ance, as the performer is apt to forget the question written 
on the slip he has opened if there is any noise. 

Candle Trick* 

Eemove part of the wick from a candle and insert in its 
place a wax taper. Sew a small piece of sand paper just 
above inside the breast pocket in which you place the candle. 
When you take the candle from your pocket scrape the taper 
against the sand paper and it comes out ablaze. N. B. : It 
is clear any number of lighted candles can be thus produced. 

Ghastly Appearance* 

Take half a pint of spirits and, having warmed it, put a 
handful of salt with it into a basin; then set it on fire, and it 
will have the effect of making every person withm its influ- 
ence look hideous. All other lights in the room must be 
extinguished; it is good for a dark stance. 



70 



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A Burning Coal on a Muslin Handkerchief. 

Take a globe of copper and wrap it in muslin or in a 
cambric handkerchief. 

Place on this metallic bowl, thus enveloped, a red-hot 
coal, and it will continue to glow without in any way 




damaging the handkerchief. The reason is this : the metal, 
being an excellent conductor, absorbs all the heat developed 
by the combustion of the coal, and as the handkerchief has 
not absorbed any of the heat, it remains at a lower tempera- 
ture than that at which it would be injured. 



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71 



Varieties of Crystals^ 

Make distinct solutions of common salt, nitre, and alum; 
set them in three saucers in any warm place, and let part of 
the water evaporate ; then remove them to a warm room. 
The particles of the salts in each saucer will begin to attract 
each other and form crystals, but not all of the same figure; 
the common salt will yield crystals with six square and 
equal sides ; the nitre six-sided crystals ; and the alum eight- 
sided crystals; and if these crystals be dissolved over and 
over again, they will always appear in the same form. 

To Pass Steam Through Cardboard. 

Take two tumblers of equal capacity ; place one of them 
on the table, and pour into it a small quantity of hot, almost 
boiling water. Then cover the tumbler with a piece of card- 
board, and place on this cardboard the other tumbler reversed. 
Care must be taken that the upper glass is perfectly clean 
and free from moisture. 

Now wait a while and you will perceive that the steam 
from the hot water in the lower vessel will penetrate the 
cardboard and in time fill the upper glass, which will clearly 
demonstrate the porosity and permeability of the cardboard. 
Wood, cloth, or woollen substances may be experimented 
upon with the same result. But there are other textures 
which are impermeable and which will not permit the trans- 
mission of the vapor — such, for instance, as vulcanized india- 
rubber, of which waterproofs are made. 

This experiment tends to explain why fog is, as it is well 
said, "so joenetrating." It passes through the tissue of our 
cloth coats and our flannels, and thus comes into contact 
v/ith our bodies. A waterproof will protect us from its action. 



72 



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Tricks with Coins. 

By the aid of a penny prepared as explained herein, and a 
little sleight-of-hand which can be learned in half an hour, 
many puzzling passes may be executed. 

The penny should have a small pinhole drilled from the 
edge to the face of the coin in a slanting direction. Through 
this hole an ordinary steel pin must be inserted until the 
point projects about one-sixteenth of an inch beyond the face 
of the coin ; this point will then be pointing slightly down- 
ward. The pin itself must then be cut down until it is 
flush with the edge of the coin, and it should be fixed with 
just a touch of solder or any other material that would hold 
it firm. 

Now you are ready to commence the passes ; hold the coin 
between the thumb and fingers of the left hand with the 
palm upward. Now move the right hand toward the left, 
passing the thumb of the right hand under, and the fingers 
over tlie coin, closing them just as they pass it. 

Directly the coin is covered by the fingers of the right 
hand, the thumb of the left slightly releases the pressure 
that it had upon the penny, allowing it to drop quietly into 
the left palm. 

The right hand should be carried upward, followed with 
eyes, which draws the attention of the audience away from 
the left hand, which should be allowed slowly and carelessly 
to fall to your side. 

While all eyes are fixed upon your right hand, the left 
should lay the penny against the cloth of your left trouser 
leg, to which the point on the coin will cause it to adhere. 

Then the right hand should be slowly opened, showing 



TRICKS 



73 



that the penny has vanished ; upon turning round to look 
for the coin, the audience see it sticking to your trouser leg, 
and soon acquaint you with the fact. 

Eemove the penny and repeat the experiment, this time 
using your right instead of your left hand, and sticking the 
coin on some other part of your clothing. 

By making use of two similarly prepared coins, and by 
fixing one of them upon your back before commencing, 
numberless passes can be easily worked out, such as vanish- 
ing the coin, turning round and exhibiting the penny upon 
your back, and while your back is toward the audience fix 
the duplicate coin upon the front of your coat, vanish the 
penny from the back, and then show it sticking on your 
chest. 

To Make a Plank Adhere to' a Table by Means 
of a Newspaper* 

Take a thin plank, about a quarter of an inch thick and 
eight inches wide and twenty-eight in length. Place this 
plank on a table slightly out of the horizontal, and it will 
be evident that the least touch will bring it to the ground. 
On the plank thus balanced place a newspaper sheet ; and 
then if you strike the portion of the plank which extends 
beyond the table you will be surprised to find that the plank 
will resist the blow absolutely, as if it had been nailed to the 
table. If you strike hard you will perhaps hurt your hand 
or break the plank, but you will not raise the sheet of news- 
paper which holds it. The quick compression of the air 
which is exercised on a considerable surface is sufficient to 
explain this phenomenon. 



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To Get a Ring Out of a Handkerchief. 

Bend a piece of gold wire into the form of a ring, having 
previously sharpened both ends. You have a real ring made 
of the same piece of wire, and, concealing the false ring in 
the palm of your hand, offer the real one to be inspected. 
When it is returned borrow a handkerchief, and while tak- 
ing it from the lender slip the real ring into your left hand, 
and take the false one at its point of junction. Throw the 
handkerchief over the ring, and give it to some one to hold 
between his finger and thumb. Let the handkerchief fall 
over it, and give a piece of string to a second spectator, 
directing him to tie it round the handkerchief, about two 
inches below the ring, so as to enclose it in a bag, and teU 
him to do so as tightly as he can. While he is doing this 
take up your conjuring wand, or rod of some hard wood, 
about eighteen inches long, and when the knot is tied step 
forward, passing the rod into your left hand, taking care 
to slip over it the real ring, which has lain concealed 
there. 

Slip your left hand to the centre of the rod, and direct 
each of the two persons to Iiold one end of it in his right 
hand. Then tell the one who has the ring and handkerchief 
to lay them on your left hand, which you immediately cover 
with your right. Tiien tell them to spread another handker- 
chief over your hands, and to say after you any nonsense 
that you like to invent. 

While they are so doing, unbend the false ring and draw 
it through the handkerchief by one of its points, carefully 
rubbing between the thumb and finger the place where it 
came through. Hang the empty handkerchief over the ring 



TRIOKS 



75 



which is on the rod, and take away your hands, which you 
exhibit empty, as you have stuck the false ring inside your 
cuff. Take away the upper handkerchief, and let a third 
person come to examine, when he will find the ring gone out 
of the handkerchief and hung upon the rod. 

Easy and Curious Methods of Foretelling Rainy 
or Fine Weather* 

If a line be made of good whipcord, that is well dried, 
and a plummet affixed to the end of it, and then hung against 
a wainscot, and a line drawn under it exactly where the 
plummet reaches, in very moderate weather it will be found 
to rise above it before rain, and to sink below when the 
weather is likely to become fair. But the best instrument 
of all is a good pair of scales, in one of which let there be a 
brass weight of a pound, and in the other a pound of salt, or 
of saltpetre, well dried; a stand being placed under the 
scale so as to prevent it falling too low. When it is inclined 
to rain, the salt will swell and sink the scale. When the 
weather is growing fair, the brass weight will regain its 
ascendency. 

Another very simple method is to take a strip of pine 
wood, about twenty inches long and one inch and a quarter 
thick, and cut across the grain. Then take a strip of cedar, 
of the same dimensions, but cut along the grain. Glue them 
firmly face to face and set them upright in a stand. Some 
time before rain falls the pores of tl\e pine will absorb moist- 
ure from the atmosphere and swell until the whole forms a 
bow, which will straighten itself as fine weather approaches. 
It is needless to say that the rods should not be painted or 
varmsh^d. 



76 



TRIOKS 



An Eggshell Boat. 

Make the boat of strong cardboard, as shown in figure. 
The ]-udder turning about a pin as axle is connected with 
the sides of the boat by two pieces of thread of uneven length, 
giving the rudder an angular position. A tub of water is 
the ocean, on which our little boat will steam about. 

Two pieces of wire, bent as shown in figure and fastened 




to the sides of the boat like hooks, are to carry an empty 
eggshell, the contents of which you have sucked out, leaving 
a little hole on one side as shown in figure. The shell is 
filled with water up to the little hole and represents the 
boiler, placed on the two pieces of wire with the hole to the 
rear, somewhat above the rear wall of the boat. To heat the 
boiler we use half of an eggshell placed on a piece of cork 



TRICKS 



77 



underneath the boiler, with a small piece of cotton in the 
centre. Pour some alcohol on the cotton and set a match to 
it. The water will begin to boil in a few moments, when 
a fine stream of steam will leave the hole of the eggshell. 
The pressure of the steam on the air will move the little boat 
in the opposite direction, that is, forward, and we have a 
steamboat steaming without wheels or screws. — Nciu York 
Herald. 

Magic Inks. 

Dissolve oxide of cobalt in acetic acid, to which add a 
little nitre ; write with this solution ; hold the writing to the 
fire, and it will be of pale rose color, which will disappear 
on cooling. 

Dissolve ecjual parts of sulphate of copper and muriate of 
ammonia in water; write with the solution, and it will give 
a yellow color when heated, which will disappear when 
cold. 

Dissolve nitrate of bismuth in water; write with the solu- 
tion and the characters will be invisible when dry, but will 
become legible on immersion in water. 

Dissolve in water muriate of cobalt, which is of bluish- 
green color, and the solution will be pink. Write with it 
and the characters will be scarcely visible; but, if gently 
heated, they will appear in brilliant green, which will disap- 
pear as the paper cools. 

Dissolve in water a few grains of prussiate of potash. 
Write with this liquid, which is invisible when dry; wash 
over with a dilute solution of iron, made by dissolving a nail 
in a little aqua fortis. A blue and legible writing is imme- 
diately apparent. 



78 



TRIOKS 



Magic of Heat. 

Melt a small quantity of the sulphate of potassa and cop- 
per in a spoon over a spirit lamp ; it will be fused at a heat 
just below redness, and produce a liquid of a dark-green 
color. Eemove the spoon from the flame, when the liquid 
will become a solid of a brilliant emerald-green color, and so 
remain till its heat sinks nearly to that of boiling water: 
when suddenly a commotion will take place throughout the 
mass, beginning from the surface, and each atom, as if ani- 
mated, will start up and separate itself from the rest, till in 
a few moments the whole will become a heap of powder. 

A Purple^ Green, and Red Liquid from the Same 

Bottle. 

Boil some leaves of red cabbage, and after half an hour's 
ebullition you will have a beautiful purple liquid, which 
when cold may be put in a bottle for future use. Take 
three glasses. Let one be perfectly clean, in the second put 
a drop of ammonia, and in the third a drop of sulphuric acid. 
The liquid poured into the clean glass will, of course, pre- 
serve its original color, that in the second will turn green, 
and that in the third will become red. 

To Make a Needle Float. 

Take an ordinary needle and put it upon a fork, and slowly 
lower the fork into a tumbler of water; the needle will then 
float just like a piece of straw. The reason of this is that a 



TRIOKS 



79 



meniscus, or bed, convex on one side, and concave on the 
other, is formed upon the surface of the, water ; and the sur- 
face of this meniscus, being large in comparison with that of 
the needle, the latter is supported by it, so that scarcely any 
part of the needle touches the water ; of course, if the water 




penetrates the needle's eye, the weight of the fluid would 
cause the needle to sink immediately. Another method 
is to put a leaf of cigarette or tissue paper on the surface 
of a tumbler of water, lay a needle very gently upon the 
paper, which will soon become soaked and sink to the 
bottom of the glass, leaving the needle floating on the top of 
the water 



80 



TRICKS 



The Queens Digging for Diamonds. 

Select from a pack the aces, kings, queens, and knaves, 
together with four common cards of each suit. Lay down 
the four queens in a row and say : " Here are four queens go- 
ing to dig for diamonds. [Lay a common diamond over 
each queen.] They each took a spade with them [place a 
common spade on each diamond] and dug until they were 
nearly tired. Their four kings, thinking that they might 
be attacked by robbers, sent four soldiers to keep guard. 
[Lay an ace on each spade.] Evening came, and the queens 
had not returned, so the kings, fearing that they might have 
come to harm, became uneasy and set off themselves. [Place 
a king on each ace.] They were only just in time, for as 
they came along, they met their queens being carried off by 
four villains [lay a knave on each king], who, although only 
armed with clubs [place a common club on each knave], had 
overpowered the guards and driven them off. But the four 
kings, being possessed of bold hearts [lay a common heart 
over each king], soon vanquished the villains and bound 
them." 

Gather up the cards, place the heaps upon each other, and 
direct some one to cut them. Have them cut four or five 
times, and continue to do so until a common heart appears 
at the bottom. Then continue the tale, and say : " The party 
then returned home in the following order : First the queen 
[lay down the top card] with the diamonds which she had 
found [lay down the second card, which will be a diamond] 
in one hand, and her spade [the third card will be a spade] 
in the other," etc. You continue dealing out the cards in 
that manner, and it will be found that they will be in pre- 
cisely the same order as when they were taken up. 



81 



TRICKS 



To Call the Cards out of the Pack^ 

Tell the spectators that you will call six cards out of the 
pack. Secure a card, say, the ace of spades, in the palm of 
your hand. Throw the pack on the table, face downward, 
spread out the cards, give one of the spectators your conjur- 
ing wand, and tell him when you name a card to touch one, 
which you will take up. 

First name the ace of spades. He touches a card, which 
you take up without showing the face of it. This card may 
be, say, the eight of diamonds. Put it into your left hand 
and place it upon the ace of spades, which is already there, 
so that the two look like one card. Then call for the eight 
of diamonds. Another card is touched, say, the queen of 
clubs. This you put with the others, and, after pretending 
to calculate, call for the queen of clubs. 

Proceed in this manner until six cards have been drawn. 
Then substitute the last card drawn (which is of course a 
wrong one) for the ace of spades, and conceal it in the palm 
of your hand. Then strew the others on the table, and while 
the eyes of the spectators are fixed upon them get rid of the 
card in your left hand. 

It is a good plan to ask some one to write down the 
names of the cards as they are called, and then to have the 
list called over, in order that every one may see that there 
has been no mistake. 



82 



TRICKS 



i 

y A Thanksgiving Dinner Tricks 

As the Thanksgiving dinner is drawing to a close and the 
dessert is being eaten, very slowly, indeed, because of all the 
good things that have gone before, the time is ripe for one or 
two clever tricks that can be played with ordinary table 
articles, and you may be sure that every one at the table 
will enjoy them immensely. 

Here is a trick that is always effective, and, while it is 
very simple indeed, still it is bound to appear just a wee bit 




mysterious, and many, especially your little brothers and 
sisters, will be unable to explain it. 

Take two ordinary claret glasses ; fill one to the brim with 
claret and the other equally full with clear water. Cover 
the top of the glass containing water with an ordinary visit- 
ing card, so that there are no places around the edge uncov- 
ered by the card. Turn the glass upside down and place it 
on the top of the glass containing claret and adjust the 



TRIOKS 



83 



glasses so that their edges meet exactly all the way around. 
Now move the card slightly to one side so that there will 
be a little space at one side of the glasses, inside, uncovered 
by the card. At once a thin stream of claret will begin to 
rise through this space, not mixing with the water at all, 
but with its edges clear and sharply defined. The water, 
too, will begin to descend into the glass containing claret, 
a pure, glistening white stream against the ruddy red. The 
stream of claret, too, rising through the sparkling white of 
the water, presents a beautiful effect, and in a moment the 
cla-ret will begin to spread about the top of the upper glass 
like the unfolding of a red rose and the water will spread in 
the bottom of the lower glass. The two fluids will not mix, 
but will present a delightful contrast of red and white with 
sharply defined edges. 

In a very short time the claret and water will have changed 
places, the claret being in the upper glass and the water in 
the lower. This is due to the difference in weight of the 
liquids; the water, being the lieavier, forces itself into the 
lower glass and a portion of the claret is moved up to take 
the place of the descending water. — Neio York Herald. 

Musical Figures Resulting from Sounds 

Cover the mouth of a wineglass, having a foot-stalk, with 
a thin sheet of membrane, over which scatter a layer of fine 
sand. The vibrations excited in the air by the sound of a 
musical instrument, held within a few inches of the mem- 
brane, will cause the sand on its surface to form regular lines 
and fis^,uvef^ with astonishing celerity, which vary with the 
^ound produced. 



84 



TRIOKS 



The Paper Puppets* 

Procure a square of glass and two volumes sufiiciently 
large to support the plate of glass in the manner shown in 
the illustration, about an inch from the table. Then cut out 
of rice paper or silver paper any figures you choose — frogs, 
men, women, children, or any animals. These little figures 




should not exceed three-quarters of an inch in height. We 
give some specimens of larger size in the upper part of the 
illustration. They can be cut out of different colored papers, 
which will improve the experimnet. 

Place these little people in their ball-room — that is to say, 
beneath the glass which you have supported above the table. 



TRIOKS 



85 



lying side by side on it. Then rub the plate of glass vigor- 
ously with a silk rubber (silk is best), and after a while you 
will see the paper figures jump up to the ceiling of their 
"ball-room," attracted by the electricity which you have de- 
veloped in the glass by rubbing. They fall again and are 
again attracted, impelled to an extravagant dance. Even 
wlien the rubbing ceases the danciiig will continue for a cer- 
tain time, and the contact of your hand with the glass will 
be sufficient to animate the little dancers. 

To insure the success of this experiment the glass must 
be perfectly dry, as well as the handkerchief or rubber with 
which you operate; and if the table be warmed, the mani- 
festations will be more successful. 

How to Make Imitation Frost, 

Every one has seen and greatly admired the hoar frosts that 
deck the trees and telegraph wires in the spring and fall of 
each year, but it will be news to many to learn that this ex- 
q^uisite picture made by nature can be almost perfectly imi- 
tated. Any boy or girl can do the trick. Take a sprig of 
some plant and set it on a small wooden stand, in the centre 
of which is a small, stout disli containing benzoic acid. If 
a spirit lamp containing alcohol is placed under the dish and 
a glass jar over it and the twig, the acid will turn to vapor. 
When it cools, a beautiful deposit of white crystals will be 
seen on the twig. If there is difficulty in getting a jar, a 
wide bottle of large size will do, the lower part of the bottle 
being removed by the burning of a strand of wool which has 
previously been dipped in turpentine. When the experi- 
ment is performed the cork must be left in the bottle to pre- 
vent the vapor from escaping. 



86 



TRIOKS 



The Fakir^s Feast» 

This is a trick of the sword-swallowing order, but instead 
of a sword a lead pencil is used, and the trick is thereby 
made suitable for the parlor. Procure a piece of licorice ball 
about the size of a lead pencil, but only two inches long. 
Keep this concealed in your right hand, seat yourself in a 
chair, and take a short lead pencil in the same hand and 
place it on the floor near your right foot. Call the attention of 
the company to the pencil, and taking it up, raise it to your 
mouth. However, as your hand passes your knee, quickly 
conceal the pencil under the knee and hold it by, slightly 
drawing the foot inward. As the hand reaches your mouth, 
show the end of the piece of licorice a moment, and the 
company will take it to be the pencil. Now put it in your 
mouth and eat it. 

To Cut a Cord with the Hands. 

You have often seen parties breaking the cord which they 
have tied round parcels by a sudden pull, and may have 
fancied this jerk sufficient to break the string. Well, try; 
you will injure or cut your hands and will not break the 
cord. To succeed you must get the cord into a certain posi- 
tion, which we will tell you. 

Place in the left hand the cord you want to break, and 
pass one end of it over the other in the form of a cross, and 
wind round the fingers the end forming the small arm of the 
cross. You must leave it sufficiently long to make several 
turns. The other end is then wound round the right hand, 
with some distance between the two hands. If your arrange- 
ment be correct, the string ought to form a Y in the centre 



TRIOKS 



87 



of the hand, as seen in the lower part of the illustration. 
Tlien grasping the end tightly in the right hand as in the 
upper part of illustration, bring the hands close and jerk 
them quickly apart, and the cord will be cut at the point of 
intersection of the arms forming the Y, which acts like a 
knife. If the cord be quickly jerked, the shock will not 




have time to communicate itself to the hands ; this is an in- 
teresting demonstration of the principle of inertia. 

Cords of considerable thickness can be thus severed with- 
out any ill effects. The most delicate hands may succeed in 
this experiment, provided the jerk be sudden and the cord 
properly arranged. With a little practice it can be done 
rapidly, 



88 



Christmas Eve Amusements 

The curious optical illusion called "The Multiplying 
Shadows," sometimes also known, from one form in which it 
is presented, as the Witches' Dance. A glance at our illus- 
tration will go far to explain it. A dummy figure (suppose 
that of a witch, riding on the conventional broomstick) is 




suspended by fine threads or wires on the side of the screen 
remote from the spectators. Behind this are ranged, one be- 
hind the other and at right angles to the screen, a row of 
lighted candles. Being all in tlie same line, they throw 
one shadow only on the scieeii. The figure is now made 
to oscillate slightly so as to impart some little motion to the 
shadow. One of the candles is now removed from its place 



TRIOKS 



89 



in the row and waved gently about, now high, now low, the 
effect to the spectators being that a second shadow springs 
out of the first and dances about it on the screen. A sec- 
ond and third candle is then removed and waved up and 
down, each 'candle as it leaves its place in the line producing 
a separate shadow. It is well to have three or four assist- 
ants, each taking a candle in each hand. 

Note : The substitution of the children's friend Santa 
Glaus will find much favor with the little ones. 

To Bring a Card which has been Thrown Out 
of the Window into the Pack Again^ 

After you have shuffled the pack and placed it upon the 
table you let any person draw forth the lowest card, of which 
there should be two alike at the bottom of the pack. Tear 
it in small pieces and throw them out -of the window. You 
then assure the company that the pieces jusb thrown out will 
jom themselves together again and return as a whole to the 
pack. You raise the window and call " Come, come, come ! " 
Then approach the table, assuring your spectators that the 
mutilated card has returned complete to its old place in the 
pack, and let them satisfy themselves that such is the fact. 

A Lung-Testing Trick. 

You can test the power of your lungs in the following 
simple way : 

Take a long narrow and strong paper bag and place it on 
the edge of the table with the opening toward you. Put a 
weight, which can be gradually increased on the opposite end 
of the bag, in the shape of books, etc., and you will be sur- 
prised to learn how great a weight you can move in this way. 



90 



TRIOKS 



The Restored Document* 

Make a memorandum book and line the cover with carbon 
paper. The paper must be loosely affixed so that it can be 
raised up, and a leaf from the memorandum book placed 
under it. You must also make a flat box having a double 
opening. You now take a leaf out of the memorandum 
book and ask some one to write a sentence, at the same time 
offering him the book to write upon. The pencil with which 
you furnish him should be a hard one, and he is then forced 
to press upon the paper in order to write. In so doing, the 
black is transferred by the pressure of the pencil from the 
carbon paper to the white leaf that has been placed under it, 
and of course makes an exact copy of the writing. You 
then give the man bis document, put the memorandum book 
in your pocket, and go out of the room to fetch your box, 
which you have forgotten. 

While you are out of the room, you take out the leaf from 
under the carbon paper and put it into one side of the flat 
box, and shut down the cover that hides it. You bring in 
the box, apologizing for your absence, and give the box, open 
at the other side, into the writer's hands. Tell him to burn 
his writing in a candle, and to place the ashes in the box. 
He does so, and closing the box, returns it to you. You 
then flourish about a little with the box, wave it in the air, 
bring it down with a bang on the table, strike it with your 
wand, and then opening it as at first, you produce the dupli- 
cate leaf, which the writer acknowledges to be in his hand- 
writing. If the carbon paper should have come off and 
smeared the paper, you can account for it by observing 
that it is very difficult to get rid of all traces of the 
burning. 



TRIOKS 



91 



Changing, Vanishing, or Producing Envelope* 
» 

This little trick is of unquestionable utility, and free from 
the many objections inseparable from the old and hackneyed 
card-box, and may, if carefully made, be handled by the 
spectators with but slight risk of the secret being discovered. 
To make, proceed as follows : Trim a piece of plain paper to 
the shape of an envelope, the centre portion being about the 
size of an ordinary envelope. Turn over the flaps and gum 
together, thus forming the back of the envelope. Now cut 
another piece of paper, the same size as the centre piece of en- 
velope, but hollowed out a trifle top and bottom, and slip this 
down inside. Lay the half-finished envelope on the table and 
gum the top edge of the square piece to the back top edge of 
envelope, and the bottom edge of it to the front bottom edge 
of envelope. Trim top and bottom edges of this piece flush 
with top and bottom of the sides ; spread a layer of gum on 
each flap, and the apparatus is ready for use. It is at once 
apparent that the apparatus can be opened from either end, 
and a playing card, placed in one side, can be made to vanish 
by opening the envelope at the opposite end, the inserted 
piece of paper running from back to front, effectually con- 
cealing it. For example of working : Load one end with a 
card ; stick flap down. When performing force similar card ; 
show envelope empty (that is to say, opposite side to the one 
containing card) ; seal down flap ; vanish card by any means 
your fancy may suggest. Eeverse the envelope, unperceived 
of course, and with a knife cut open and produce the card. 

You might even get one of the audience to address the 
envelope to some imaginary spirit, thus indirectly calling 
attention to the fact that there are not two envelopes stuck 
together face to face. 



92 



TRIOKS 



A Thanksgiving-Day Gam^* 

No doubt many of our little readers will hardly care to 
indulge in violent exercise after eating tlieii^ fill of Thanks- 
giving cheer, and often, after the turkey has been utterly 
wrecked, the last of the dessert consumed, and every little 
jacket has grown uncomfortably tight, there comes the ques- 
tion, "What shall we do to have some fun?" Here is a 
way to have some fun that does not demand too much exer- 




tion, and still provides a form of amusement in keeping with 
the day : 

Cut out the picture of the turkey's head, leaving about an 
inch of margin on each side. Get two pieces of wood, or 
two boxes — cigar boxes will do — and place them side by 
side so they are just about as far apart as the width of the 
picture. Now pin the picture to the ends of the boxes, by 
the margin, placing one pin in each corner, so that the 
picture is suspended between the boxes with nothing behind 
it. Place this in the centre of the table, and exactly before 
it, on the edge of the table, lay a book just thick enough so 
that the upper side is about level with the centre of the 
picture. 



TRIOKS 



93 



On the edge of the book lay a toothpick and aim it at one 
of the turkey's heads. Take a pencil and, holding one end 
in your left hand, draw back the other end so that you can 
snap it forward and strike the end of the toothpick. This 
will fly forward like a dart, and if it hits the picture it will 
stick in the paper like an arrow in a target. You and your 
little brothers and sisters must take turns doing this, so as 
to be perfectly fair. Of course the one who hits the turkey's 




head wins, and if no one is lucky enough to do so well as 
that, the one who comes nearest to it is ahead of the 
rest. 

If you have more than two players you can count the one 
who hits the turkey's head three points, the next nearest 
two points, and the third one point. The rest do not score 
at all then, but of course you all have another chance. The 
game should be of ten points, and you can keep this up until 
the paper is full of holes from your toothpick arrows. — New 
York Herald. 



94 



TRICKS 



The Floating Ball 

This is more of a game than a puzzle, though it partakes 
of the nature of the latter. A hollow rubber ball, two inches 
in diameter, is set afloat in a tub or basin of water, and the 
players are challenged to take it out, using the mouth only. 

Any one not acquainted with the secret will make a great 
many attempts before he finally succeeds. 

SohUion. — Just as the lips touch the ball, inhale vigor- 
ously, and the ball will be drawn toward them by exhaus- 
tion of the air. Maintain the exhaustion till you have fairly 
lifted the ball, and then let it fall from the mouth to the 
hand. 

Bon Bons of Colored Paper Clippings. 

To produce this improbable effect the performer requires a 
box, say 8 x 12 X 8 inches deep. Have this box filled with 
paper clippings of different colors. Concealed among the 
clippings is a cone made of newspaper and filled with candies. 
This cone will not be noticed by the audience. Thus pre- 
pared, the performer steps forward with the box ; also a piece 
of newspaper similar to the paper the one in the box contain- 
ing candies is made of. Now show the box filled with paper 
clippings ; leave it on your table ; then make a cone from the 
newspaper, similar in size and shape to the one concealed 
among paper shavings in the box. Hand the cone to some 
one to put a mark on it so as to make it impossible for you 
to change it. When the cone is marked, step up to the box 
of paper clippings holding the cone in right hand. 

Place it in the box. At same time with left hand get hold 
of the cone in the box containing the candies, and insert same 
into the cone tiiat is marked, and keep on apparently filling 
the cone with paper clippings. In reality you are placing 



TRIOKS 



95 



only a portion of the clippings on the cone of candy. Show 
that filled with the clippings and close the top of the cone and 
say , " I will now make candies out of the clippings. " No sooner 
said than done, break the double cone in two at the centre, 
allowing the candies to drop on a plate (the audience still see 
the mark on the cone and feel convinced no change has taken 
place) ; then roll the two halves of the cone which also con- 
tains the few paper clippings into a ball and throw it carelessly 
aside. 

An Infallible Barometer. 

With a few cents any boy can buy the chemicals required 
for this barometer, and obtain an instrument much more re- 
liable than many of the cheaper grades for sale in the stores. 
Put two drachms of pure nitrate of potash and half a drachm 
of chloride of ammonium, reduced to a powder, into two 
ounces of pure alcohol, and place this mixture in a clear glass 
bottle, covering the top with a piece of rubber or thin kid 
.pierced with small holes. If the weather is to be fine, the 
solid matters remain at the bottom of the bottle, and the al- 
cohol is as transparent as usual. If rain is to fall in a short 
time, some of the solid particles rise and fall in the alcohol, 
which becomes thick and troubled. When a storm, tempest, 
or even a squall is about to come on, all the solid matter rises 
from the bottom of the bottle and forms a crust on the sur- 
face of the alcohol, which appears to be in a state of fermenta- 
tion. These appearances take place twenty-four hours before 
the tempest ensues, and the point of the horizon from which 
it is to blow is indicated by the particles gathering most on 
the side of the tube opposite to that part whence the wind 
is to come. The longer the diameter of the bottle the better 
for this kind of barometer. 



96 



TRIOKS 



At which Side will the Match Catch Fire? 

Take four " safety " matches from a box, and insert two of 
them in the spaces which are apparent when the box is partly- 
opened; the third match should be placed between the two 
former, when the whole will appear as in the illustration. 




Care must be taken that the third match is firmly gripped 
between the other two, which will be bent outward, but 
must not be broken, by the contact. The fourth match 
should then be struck and the third (the horizontal) match 
lighted by it in the centre. The question for the spectators 



TRIOKS 



97 



to solve now is : Which of the two supporting side matches 
will be fired first: that on the right or that on the left? 
Will it be that side at which we have two ends tipped with 
phosphorus, or the side at which there is only one phosphoric 
end ? The reply must be : At neither of them. The side 
matches will not ignite at all, because immediately the cen- 
tre of the horizontal match is burned, the two side matches 
will spring back and throw off the third match, which will 
fall to the ground and be extinguished. 

To Name Cards without Seeing Them. 

Procure a small concave mirror, one and a half to one 
and three-quarter inches in diameter, and conceal this, glass 
outward, in the palm of the left hand. Hand the pack to 
be shuffled; take it back with the right hand, and thence 
transfer it to the left, holding it between the second and 
third fingers and thumb so as to leave a clear space between 
the last card and the palm. The card for the time being at 
the bottom will now be reflected in the mirror, and may be 
named accordingly. This being drawn off by the right hand 
and thrown on the table, another card comes into view, and 
may be named in like manner. 

Another method is to have the little mirror palmed in 
the right hand, and to hold the pack with the left, face 
outward, against the forehead. The performer with the right 
hand takes down the outermost card, and in so doing is en- 
abled to catch sight of its reflection in the glass. 

If the neophyte finds a difficulty in holding the mirror 
securely in the palm, he is quite at liberty to fix it in posi- 
tion with shoemaker's wax. I should, however, have small 
hope in such case of his ever making a conjurer. 



9S 



TRIORS 



Christmas Nut and Candy Trick. 

lo perform a clever trick with dexterity before a "small 
party " is at once to become the hero of the evening. If 
you cannot sing, you must solve conundrums or dance; if 
neither of these be your "forte," a good trick or two will give 
equal pleasure to the "bright eyes " peering at you. The nut 
trick is exhibited thus: You hand the audience a dessert 
plate and a cambric handkerchief for examination; these 
being returned, you place the plate upon a table near to you; 
the handkerchief is then spread out quite flat over the plate. 
At command, nuts and candy pour into the dessert plate the 
instant the handkerchief is lifted up, producing an effect that 
astonishes your audience. The way in which it is done is 
this : Make a calico bag large enough to hold the nuts and 
candy you intend to distribute, exactly to the pattern of the 
letter A ; a small selvage is turned up at the bottom of the 
bag. Procure two pieces of watch-spring, and bend them 
quite flat, each spring to be exactly half the diameter of tlie 
bag. These are put into the selvage and sewed up firmly. 
When the bag is opened, it will close itself in consequence 
of the springs. A long pm is passed through the top of 
the bag and bent round hook-shaped. If the bag be now 
filled with nuts and candy, it may be suspended by the 
hook without any danger of the nuts or candy falling out, 
because, although the mouth of the bag is downward, the 
springs keep it shut. When this trick is to be shown, the 
prepared bag is hung on the side of the table that is away 
from the audience. The plate is also placed on that side, 
and when the handkerchief is laid over the plate a portion 
is left to fall over the side of the table. Now tlie handker- 



TRIOKS 



99 



chief is picked up with the right hand in the centre, and 
with, it the bag of nuts, etc. ; the folds of the cambric hide 
the bag. The left hand is now used to draw over the hand- 
kerchief and to press the bag; this causes the springs to 
open and out fall the "good things" upon the plate. This 
causes sufficient diversion for you to drop the bag behind 
the table unseen, while you advance to your audience 
inquu'ing, " Will you take a few nuts or some candy ? " 



The Unalterable Pellet of Bread. 

Knead between your fingers a piece of the crumb of a 
fresh loaf in such a manner as to impart to it the spiny 
appearance of the figure in illustration. Place this moulded 
pellet on a wooden table and strike the pellet on top with 
your hand. You will find 
that you cannot alter its 
shape ! 

No matter how violent 
your blows, the elastic 
material, for an instant 
flattened, will always return 
to its formation again. 

Again, take the pellet and 
throw it violently on the 
ground. The shock will not 
permanently deform it any more than your blows did, 
and it will resume its shape again, because its elasticity 
has preserved it from injury! The experiment will not 
succeed unless the bread be perfectly fresh. 




100 



TRICKS 



The Vanishing Gloves. 

This is a capital trick with which to commence an enter- 
tainment. When it comes, as it should do, unannounced, and 
before the performance proper has commenced, it has an air 
of improvisation which greatly enhances its effect, and at 
once awakens the attention of the audience. 

The performer comes forward in full evening-dress. While 
saying a few words by way of introduction to his entertain- 
ment, he begins to take off his gloves, commencing with 
that on his right hand. As soon as it is fairly off, he takes 
it in the right hand, waves the hand with a careless gesture, 
and the glove is gone. He begins to take off the other, 
walking as he does so behind his table, whereon his wand is 
laid. The left-hand glove being removed, it is rolled up into 
a ball, and transferred from the right hand to the left, which 
is immediately closed. The right hand picks up the wand, 
and with it touches the left, which being slowly opened, the 
second glove is found to have also disappeared. 

The disappearance of the first glove is effected by means 
of a piece of cord elastic, attached to the back of the waist- 
coat, and thence passing down the sleeve. This should be 
of such a length as to allow the glove to be drawn down and 
put on the hand, and yet to pull it smartly up the sleeve and 
out of sight when released. It is desirable to have a hem 
round the wrist of the glove, and to pass the elastic througli 
this like the cord of a bag, as it thereby draws the wrist 
portion of the glove together, and causes it to offer less hin- 
drance to its passage up the sleeve. Upon taking off the 
glove, the performer retains it in his hand, and lets it go 
when he pleases. He must, however, take care to straighten 
his arm before letting it slip, as otherwise the elastic will 



XRIOKS 



lot 



roTuain comparatively slack, and the glove will, instead of 
disappearing with a flash, dangle ignominiously from the 
coat-cuff. 

The left-hand glove is got rid of by palming. The per- 
former, standing behind his table as already mentioned, roll- 
ing the glove between his hands, and quickly twisting the 
fingers inside, so as to bring it into more manageable form, 
pretends to place it in his left hand, but really palms it in 
his right. He now lowers the right hand to pick up his 
•wand, and as the hand reaches the table drops the glove on 
the servante. He now touches the left hand with the wand, 
in due course opening the hand and showing that the glove 
has departed. 

Some performers vanish both gloves by means of elastic, 
one up each sleeve, but in doing so they offend against one 
of the cardinal precepts of the art, viz : never to perform the 
same trick twice in succession by the same means. The 
audience having seen the manner of the first disappearance 
are all on the alert, and are not unlikely on the second occa- 
sion to guess the means employed. If, on the other hand, 
the performer adopts the plan indicated above, the two 
modes of producing the effect being different, each renders 
it more difficult to discover the secret of the other. 

To Make Water Freeze by the Fireside, 

This curious trick can be performed only in winter. Set 
a quart kettle upon a stool before the fire, throwing a little 
water upon the stool first. Then put in the kettle a hand- 
ful of snow, into which you have secretly placed a handful 
of salt. Stir it about ten mhuites with a short stick and the 
congelation will be effected. 



V2 



TRICKS 



To Pass a Coin Through a Hat into a Tumbler^ 

For this brilliant little trick you require an ordinary tum- 
bler and a gentleman's derby hat. Stand the tumbler upon 
a table and show that the hat is devoid of preparation ; then 
stand it brim upward upon the glass, but in doing so 
secretly insert a penny between the edge of the tumbler and 
the crown of the hat. To do this quietly and without at- 
tracting attention is very easy, and you should start the trick 
by concealing a penny in your palm, and on receiving the 
hat back after examination rest it over the coin on your 
hand. Now make a little fuss in placing the hat upon the 
glass, and you will have plenty of opportunity to make the 
necessary preparation. You are now ready to present the 
trick, so either borrow or take a penny from your pocket and 
say that you will pass the coin right through the hat into 
the glass beneath. Stand behind the tumbler, so that you 
face the concealed coin, and throw the penny that you have 
in your hand against the opposite side of the hat inside. 
The shock causes the headgear to shake sufficiently to dis- 
lodge the underneath coin, which consequently falls into 
the glass. Now remove the hat and turn it crown upward, 
and the coin will drop into the inside band, thus hiding it 
from observation, while you turn the duplicate penny out of 
the tumbler, telling the audience that it is the same one that 
passed right through the hat. 



TRIOKS 



f03 



The Mesmerized Cross of the Orient* 

For this splendid and mystifying trick you will require six 
ordinary drinking straws. These straws must be fashioned 
into the form of a cross by being bound with thread at the 
place where the cross piece joins the upright. As an addi- 
tional security, and as a help to keep the cross perfectly flat, 
small pins are passed through the three straws at about half 



an inch from each extremity, as indicated in the first illus- 
tration. 

Besides these straws, a tiny wooden plug, just large 
enough to fit inside the centre upright straw, will be required. 
A bent needle point is fixed into this plug, which is shown in 
the drawing marked X. 

When desiring to present this illusion, the cross can be 
passed round for examination, and the plug secretly inserted 
on receiving it back ; or, better still, the cross can be fash- 
ioned with loose straws in front of the audience, who will 
then be satisfied that it is quite ordinary and unprepared. 




i Of 



X 



104 



TRICKS 



Now the cross is laid flat upon the palm of one hand 
while the other makes passes round and above it. Suddenly 
the cross is seen to move, and slowly it rises until it stands 
perfectly erect; all this while you can pass your wand above 
and round the cross to prove that it is not suspended in any 
way by wires or strings. 

The trick is worked in this manner : The cross with the 
plug in it is laid upon the fleshy part of the base of the 
fingers, so that the needle point is inserted into the flesh. 
The hand is now held in the position indicated in the illus- 




tration, with the fingers slightly bent upward supporting the 
cross. Now gradually straighten your hand, and as the flesh 
tightens the cross will assume an upright position ; by an 
almost imperceptible movement of the finger, the cross can 
be made to rise or fall at the performer's inclination. When 
desiring to conclude the experiment, it is always advisable 
to extract the plug, which can be dropped on the floor, and 
the cross handed once more for examination without fear of 
the secret being discovered. 



TRIOKS 



105 



All effective method of performiug a similar trick is to 
fix a bent needle point into the end of a lead pencil. This 
is then manipulated in the same manner as the cross, with 
the exception that after the experiment the pencil is quietly 
put into your pocket. Then, pretending to hear some one 
remark that they would like to examine the article, take 
from your pocket a duplicate pencil, entirely unprepared, 
which is handed round, the audience being under the im- 
pression that they are examining the pencil that was per- 
formed with. 



The Burnt Writing Restored^ 

Here is a trick that an amateur may perform as neatly 
and cleverly as a professional magician and with an equal 
effect on the spectators. 

Hollow out the end of a candle, and then keep the candle 
out of sight until you are ready to use it. Have a candle- 
stick on the table before you. Hand a pencil and half a 
sheet of notepaper to one of the spectators and ask him to 
write a sentence on it, anything he pleases. 

While he is writing get ready another piece of paper, but 
only one-half the size of the first. Crumple it up and hold 
it in your left hand, between the lower joints of the 
fingers. 

After the original paper has been written on, ask the 
writer to tear it in half. Taking one-half from him in your 
right hand, crumple it up and pretend to pass it into your 
left hand, but in reality you must substitute for it the piece 
aheady there. Then you will have the piece with the 
writing on it concealed in your left hand, and the piece that 



106 



TRIOKS 



you had prepared in your right hand ; but if you make the 
substitution skilfully the spectators will think that the lat- 
ter is the one given to you by the man who did the writing. 

Give the paper that you have in your right hand to one 
of the spectators and caution him to close his hand over it 
tight. Then quickly insert the paper that you still have in 
the hollow end of the candle, and put the candle in the can- 
dlestick and light it. Take from the spectator the paper 
that you gave him and burn it in the candle. 

Then blow out the candle and hand it to the one who did 
the writing, teUing him to cut the candle in two, and see if 
he does not find in it the paper with his writing on it. Of 
course he will find it there, and recognize his own work. — 
New York Herald. 



To Crack Walnuts in Your Elbow* 

Conceal a very strong walnut in your right hand and take 
two other walnuts out of the dish. Place one of them on 
the joint of your arm, and say that you are going to break it 
by the power of your muscles. You will now have one 
walnut in your arm and two in your right hand. Close 
your left arm and strike it an apparently violent blow with 
the right hand, at the same time clenching the right hand 
violently, which will smash the second walnut in it, and the 
spectators hearing the crash will be sure to fancy that it is 
caused by the demolition of the walnut in your arm. Then 
open your arm very gently (for fear of dropping any of the 
fragments, you must say) and, when pretending to take 
out the walnut which you had placed there, you substitute 
for it the broken one from your right hand. 



A TREATISE ON AND GUIDE TO 



Friendship, 
Love, 



Courtship, 
and 



Marriage. 




I ^ 
After 
I Marriage, 

I ^"^ 
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Anniversaries. 



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The Language of the Kandkerohief, 
The Language of the Fan, 
The Language of the Gane, 
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^ CONTENTS ^ 

Entrance Into Society— General Observancor^. 
for Visits, etc. - Special Observances for All Occa- 
sions -The Formula of Introductions - On Dress 
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ness - Conversation and Personal Address— Writ- 
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ceptions, etc.— Card-Table, Entertainments, Din- 
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Politeness of Business - Love, Courtship, and 
Marriag-e- Hespect for Relig-ion and Old Ag-e- A 
Special "Word to Ladies Impolite Thing-s-Phre- 
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EMBllACING 

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Beauty of the Lower Face. 
Beauty of the Complexion and Skin. 
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THE 



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: Madame; Le NormaND5| with a very favorable opinion of her 
"W^^^^^^^ I ^^^^ talent, and we believe we render 
JS[, I a service to the admirers of her system 
by publishing the cards which were 
found among her effects after her death. 
With these cards she prophesied to the 
, ^ <a*-->tj^ g Emperor Napoleon I, his future great- 

i ^j^xSb-^ N^'''' 1 foretold the misfortunes and 

I^^'f^^^*'^^3c3:r^ i downfall of many princes and great 

men of France. Thousands of noblemen 
acknowledged her surprising powers, 
and confessed that her method was un- 
rivaled in skill and mysterious science. 
Our publication is still more interest- 
ing, from the fact that we give the ex- 
planation of the cards exactly after the 
manner of Mme. Le ISTormand. We hi.ve also arranged them in such 
a shape that every lady or gentleman can read his or her fortune 
vrilhout the aid of any one else, as the printed instructions accom- 
panying each pack are very explicit. Each card is illustrated with 
pictures, signs and symbols of prophecy, fortelling the different 
events of life, and every one will find them adapted to his or her 
peculiar cases. There is no card game published from which you 
•,in derive more amusement and pastime than the Mile Le Normand's 
Cripsy Fortune Telling Cards published by Wehman Bros. They are 
oacked in handsome cases, with English and German directions. 
Will be sent to any address, by mail, post-paid, on receipt of 2S cts. 

ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 




PUBLISHED BY 

WEHMAN BROS, 

116 PARK ROW, NX 



WKHMAM BROS., 
126 PAEK EOW, NEW YOEK. 



m, ilSie SND MYSTERY 




W£HMAN BROS. 
NEW BOOK OF 

A BIG COLLECTION OF PARLOR MAQIG, TRSGKS WITH CARDS, TOASTS, 
FORTUNE TELLIN3, mm RSAOIMGS, FLIRTATIONS, AMUSING 

EXPERIMENTS, mmn mmm secrets, jokes, riddles, conundrums, 

PARLOR AMUSEiViENTS, PUZZLES, PRQiLEMS, PARLOR GAMES, ETC. 
.EVERYTHING MENTIONED ON THIS PAGE ONLY 10 CENTS. 

21 PUZZLES AND PROBLEMS. Real 

Stickfcjs. \\ lil k*;t p yon guessing. 

I FORTUNE TELLING TABLET. As 

used by the EgypLum Astroiogirs. 
I NEW GYPSY FORTUNE TELLER. Toll 

your own fui tun- s. So simple a child 
can easily luarn it. 

250 NEW JOKES, CONUNDRUMS AND 
RIDDLES. Briyii . , Puzzling, Clenuine Rib- 
ticlilcis. You will laugh till you ache. 

52 MONEY MAKING SECRETS. How to 

make all lands of Soap. Ink, Paint. Glne, 
Varnish, Boot, Shoe and Furniture Poli.sh, 
Mncilage, H;iir Oil, Hair Dye, Washing, 
Baking and TooUi Powder, etc. 

40 AMUSING EXPERIMENTS IN MAGIC. 
Entertaining. W ill astonisn Tour friends. 
To Mi lb Lead in a Piece of Papr-r. Light 
Proflnce d by Sugar. Artificial Lightning 
To Make Water Freeze by the Fire, etc. 
58 VERSES IN COMIC POETRY. Will drive away the blues. Hot stuff. 
7 PARLOR GAMES. An Evening's Entertainment for Young and Old. 
II PARLOR PASTIMES. Magic Age Table. Evening Amusement 
Game. etc. Will keep a company in a continuous laugh. 

14 FLIRTATIONS. Postage Stamp, Handkerchief, Pencil, Parasol, 
Whip, Hat, F m. Glove, Cigar, and Eye Flirtation. How to Kiss a Lady. 
Dining Table Signaling. Window Signaling. Lover's Telegraph. 

7 WONDERFUL FORTUNE TELLING SECRETS. By the Grounds of 

a Tea or Coffee Cup. With Dominoes. By Days of the Month. Augury 
bv Dice. Character by the Month. Curious Signs and Superstitions. 
How to Judge Any One's Character by Their Finger-Nails. 

16 FEATS IN PARLOR MAGIC. How to put an Egg into a Bottle. To 
make Water Rise from a Saucer into a Glass. To Bring a Person Down 
Upon a Feather. To Hold a Glass of Water Upside Down without Spill- 
ing. To Tell the Number any Person Thinks of. Wonderful Hat. etc. 

10 FUNNY READINGS. Create roars of laughter. "Boy Lost." "Fe- 
male Stratagem." " Rules for Love Making." "A Dreadful Accident." 
*' Rules for Bummers." "A Deceiving Letter." "Husband's Commad- 
ments." " Wife's Commandments." " Slight Hints." " Office Rules." 

15 TRICKS WITH CARDS. The Slipped Card. The Nailed Card. To 
Guess Several Cards Cliosen at Random. The Recruit Trick. To Tell 
the Card that May be Noted. The Trinle Deal. The Three Jacks. To 
Find the Number of Points on Three Unseen Cards. Wizard's Pack of 
Cards. Cards Revealed hv the Looking-Glass. Circle of 14 Cards. Of 
Two Rows of Cards to Tell Whlch One Has Been Touched. Card Named 
Without Being Seen. Various Other Tricks with Cards. 

71 TOASTS. Here are a few samples : 43 EPITAPHS. 

Here's to one and only one. Shed a few tear for Mary Mack, 

And may that one be she, A trolly car hit her a slap in the back. 

Who loves but one and only one, Grieve for little Micky Lynch, 

And may that one be me. The undertaker had a cinch. 

WEHMAN BROS,, 126 PARK ROW, N. Y 



WEHMAN BROS.' NEW BOOK OF 

HOYLE'S CARD GAMES 

STANDARD RULES FOR PLAYING ALL CARD GAMES 

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

The fascination that attaches to card games, both for amusement and 
gain, is only circumscribed by the boundries of civilization, and the 
number and styles of games are as multiple as the leaves in Valambro- 
sa. It has been our effort to bring together within this book all tlie 
card games known to modern players, and also many which have not, 
in general, become popular, as yet, on this side " the big pond." The 
following are the games treated in this book: 



WEHMAN BROS*. NEW BOCK OF 




(STANDARD RULES FOR PUYING AaCARD GAMES ( 
pygujuas, vvEMMAN BROS. "EWyo^ 



All Fours 


All Fives 


Auction Pitch 


Baccarat 


Bezique 


Boston 


Brag 


Cinch 


Cassino 


Cribbage 


Coon Can 


Domino Whist 


Draw Poker 


Ecarte 


Euchre 


Faro 


Forty-flve 


Five or Nine 


Grabouche 


Hearts 


French Boston 


Jack Pots 


Loo 


French Whist 


Mistigris 


Napoleon 


Lansquenet 


Old Sledge 


Pinocle 


Newmarket 


Piquet 


Pitch 


Pedro Sancho 


Poker 


Quinze 


Ramsch 


Rounce 


Seven Up 


Rouge et Noir 


Sixfcy-six 


Skat 


Sancho Pedro 


Solo V/hist 


Solo 


Stud Poker 


Spoil Five 


Stops 


Scotch Whist 


Vingt-Un 


Whist 


Short Whist 



Railroad Euchre 
Thirteen and the Odd 
Dummy Bridge Whist 
Duplicate Bridge Whist 



California Jack 
Commercial Pitch 
Rubicon Bezique 
Duplicate Whist 
Bridge Whist 
Cayenne Whist 



Catch the Ten 
French Euchre 
Slobberhannes 
Straight Poker 
Trente et Quarante 
Whiskey Poker 



This book contains the rules established and revised by Hoyle, 
governing the many games, by aid of which each and every one at 
all conversant with cards, may learn how best to " stake the hazard 
of a die," and win or lose as science and skill shall present opportu- 
nity. Printed on a good qualit.y of paper, from clear readable type, 
with illustrated colored cover. Sent by mail, post-paid, to any address, 
on receipt of TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. 



ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

BROS., 

NEW YORK. 



WXlHMAIff 
126 FAKE BOW, 



WEHMAN BROS.' NEW BOOK OF 




No. I coi»g-i'A3:wi]3B-<& No. I 

A Collection of 3o0 Choice Toasts 

FOB USE OH ALL OaOASIONS 

PKICE, 10 CENTS. 

A FEW SAMPLES OF WHAT THIS NEAT LITTLE BOOK 
CONTAINS ARE PRINTED HERE BELOW: 

Here's henllh to the girl 

Who will drink when she can; 
Here's health to the girl 

Who will "rush the tin can," 
And health to the girl 

Who can dance the can-can — 
'Tis the canny toast 
Of an uncanny man. 

Here's Champagne to our real friends, 
And real pain to our sham friends. 

Here's to a bird, a bottle 

And an open-work stocking, 
There's nothing in this 

That's so very shocking. 
The bird came froni Jersey, 

The bottle from France, 
The open-work stocking 
Was seen at a dance. 

A good wife and health 
Are a man's best wealth. 



This IS just the book you need v/hen you 
are out at an Evening Supper, Party, or with 
a crowd of the boys having a good time. It 
contains 350 Toasts entirely different from 
what you will find in our 350 Toasts No. 2. 

Better send 20 cents and get both numbers* 

ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

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126 PARK ROW, NEW YORK. 




OLD AURAH-S ORIENTAL 
Dream Bmk and Forfyne-Taller, 

WITH NAPOLEON'S ORACULUM. 
PRICE, 15 CENTS. 

THIS is the great nnd justly celebrated work, written by the fa- 
mous Queen of the Gipsies, Old Arrah. It is a book so strange and 
wonderful that the human mind can barely grasp its mysteries. It 
is !i liiurou^h and perfect teacher on the mysterious art and sci- 
ence of which Old Arrah was a perfect master, and by its aid it 
is possible for one to fortell future events, etc. Its contents em- 
bl•;^G(^s tlie correct interpretation of all dreams or visions in the in- 
tirt'i categ{)ry, from A to Z, and includes the lucky numbers in lot- 
tery, which applies thereto. The great combination table, when to 
play gigs, combinations to play, curi- 
ous traditional observations, to know 
what fortune your future husband 
will have, to find out the first two 
letters of a wife's or husband's name, 
to know if a woman with child will 
have a girl or boy, to know if a child 
new born shall live or not, to know 
how soon a person will be married, 
to discover a thief, to know whether 
a woman shall have the man she 
wishes, to know if anyone shall en- 
joy their love or not, how to make 
your lover or sweetheart come, how 
to read your fortune by the white 
of an egg, for a girl to ascertain if 
she will soon marry, to know your 
future husband'-s trade, to see a fu- 
ture husband, to choose a husband 
by the hair, how to obtain happiness 
and aflluence in the marriage state, 
how to make the dumb-cake, to tell 
a person's disposition and future lot 
by the aid of moles, marks or scars 
how to tell fortunes with cards, by 
old and new methods; augury by dice 
and dominoes. Charms, Spells, Incantations, Signs and Omens care- 
fully and fall 7 explained; preilictions conctrningr children born on 
anv rbiv in the week; judgments drawn from the moon; Physio- 
logical Signs of character and disposition: Physiognomy; Nativity; 
love i)n-9Hnts and witching spells; fortune-telling by the grounds 
of a coffee or tea cup; the ring and olive branch; the witches' chain; 
love's cordial; the macric rose; how to make ink with which you 
can vvi-ite secretly; Palmistry, to tell fortunes by the hand; finger- 
rail obsnrvations : to b iffle your enemies, and the ORACULUM, 
Napoleon Bonaparte's Book of Fate, which originally cost many 
thousar'ds of dollars Remember that everything enumerated above 
is contained in this book in a complete form, and should you place 
it side by side with costly leather-bound volumes on similar sub- 
jects, it would still retain "it value. It is the original. Printed on 
good quality of paper, from clear, readable type, and bound in hand- 
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ADDRESS ALL ORDEES DIRECT TO 




WEHMAN BEOS., 126 PAEK ROW, N. 



OLD GIPSY NAN'S 

FOZITUNE-TELLEE AlTD DEEA^ BOOE. 

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

OLD NAN was the most celebrated Gipsy of modern times. She 
gives you the key to Unlock the Future, and makes every person 
their own Fortune-teller. With this book you can tell your own 
or any person's fortune far better than any Astrologer, Clairvoyant, 
AT Medium can. It fortells exactly what will happen to you. It 

gives the Hindoo Secret of Love; 
how to Manage, what to Say and 
Do to gain the love, the heart and 
hand of the person you desire to 
marry. It gives the Art of Telling 
Fortunes by the Lines of the Hand. 
It contains old Nan's Dictionary of 
Dreams so you can Interpret any 
Dream as soon as you hear it. It 
gives you a Charm to Protect you 
to from Danger; It teaches how 
make the Lucky Dream Hose; Who 
your Future Husband or Wife 
will be ; the Love Letter Charm ; 
how to know the Sex of Children Before Birth; to know how soon 
you will Marry, and what Fortune you will have; the Lovers Charm. 
Old Nan's True Method of Telling Fortunes by Tea or Coffee Cup: 
to know if your Love of a person will be Mutual; Fortune Tell- 
ing by Cards; It tells you the Lucky Days; What you will be 
Successful in; What your Absent Husband or Wife is Doing; What 
your Future Destiny is; Whether your Wife, Husband or Intended 
is True to You; Whether you will ever Marry; Whether money 
will be left to you; Whether your Marriage will be Happy; How 
to be Successful in your Love affairs; The Number of Wives or 
Husbands you will Have ; Whether you will be Wealthy ; Seven 
Signs of Speedy Marriage; Signs how to Choose a good Husband 
or Wife. If you are in trouble, or want to find anything out. Old 
Nan tells you exactly what to do. The success of your Future may 
depend on your reading this great book, for it will guide you to 
Prosperity and Riches. Old Nan can bring you Good or Evil For- 
tune. Don't spurn her and you can Control others and Find Hid 
den Treasures. She is Powerful. Sent by mail, postpaid, 25 Cents 

ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

WEHMAN BROS., 




120 PARK HOW, NEW YOBK. 



"W E H IVI ^ ISr 13 lEt o s 



50 NEW CARD TRICKS 



BY HOWARD 
THURSTON 



WEHMAN BR05V 




Howard tHUs^sTojj 



THE fm WHO MYSTIFIED HERRfWN, 
^sxjpBT WEHMAN BROS. '^voRK. 



method, with illustrations 
Printed on good quality 
Sent by mail, post-paid, to 



THE MAN THAT MYSTIFIED HERMANN 

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

The continuous Front and Back Hand 
Palm with Cards is for the first time thor- 
oughly explained, using drawings illus- 
trating the corret position of the hands 
and cards with complete instructions, also 
many combination tricks and sleights used 
in coimection with, and by the aid of the 
Back Hand Palm. 

The ' Thurston" System of Expert Card 
Manipulation is fully described, by the 
aid of which system the performer can 
exhibit Tricks with cards, which to the 
uninitiated seem to transcend human 
ability. They are recommended alike to 
the Professional, Amateur, and Novice, 
as they are absolutely new. They are 
considered the best series of Card Tricks, 
for Drawing-room or Club, ever invented. 

Many other new and original Miscella- 
neous Card Tricks, including the correct 
of performing Thurston's Rising Cards, 
of paper, with handsome colored cover, 
any address, on receipt of 25 CENTS. 



HOW TO BECOME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN 



PRIGE, JO CENTS. 

This new and revised edition has 
been compiled to the present time, 
and contains valauble information 
for a foreigner to know, before be- 
coming a citizen of the land of his 
adoption. This practical volume em- 
braces the following : viz: — Declara- 
tion of Independence — Articles of 
Confederation— Constitution of the 
United States— Time required to pro- 
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and the States of the United States 
—Declaration of Allegiance— Proof 
of Residence— Admission of Aliens- 
Questions asked (and their answers) 
by the United States, District, and 
State Supreme Courts— Costs of 
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Postage stamps taken same as cash. 



ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

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WEHMAN BtiOS. 



WEHMAN BROS! 
FOR LEARNING 




ofw system on tne most simple pnncipies 
roi Univerm Selt-Tuition with Compiett 
tnglisn Pronunciation at Every Word 



REVISED EDITIOH 

WEHMAN BROS."'* 



Easy Method for Learning 

ITALIIN piGKLY 

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

A new system, on the most simple 
principles, for universal self-tuition, 
with complete English pronunciation 
of every word. By Franz Thimm. With 
the aid. of this book any person can 
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fork 



A $2.00 BOOK FOR ONLY 25 CENTS. 



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BOOK UF 



SOOQ Ways to @et Rich 



PRICE, 
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WEHMA^f BROS 

BOOK OF 




mwmmmi 

►u,u,s«»«t W EM MAN BP. 05 



of gab" needed. Things wi 
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To persons who work hard for a liv- 
iiij,' and then doii t get it, we have a few 
plain words to say. Every person wants 
to make money and wants to make it fast 
and easy. This book will tell them how. 
Many worthy peo])le grow gray with hard 
work and have nothing to show for it. It 
is such people we address, Among the 
valuable secrets in this really great book 
are many plainly explained, ri quiring no 
capital, but little labor and no special abil- 
ity. By any one of these you can make 
money ten times easier than by hard 
work, aiid be your own master at that. 
This book is crammed full of wonderful 
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(;ngiish P'oAom.a'ion ot Every Word. 

REVISED EOITIOH 



WEHMANBR03, "'^'Ifork 



Easy Method for Learning 

FRENOH QUICKLY 

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pense, consistent with its price, has 
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LOVE LETTERS 



AND 



HOW TO WeiTE THEfVi. 

FOE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN 



PRICE, 25 CENTS. 




Containing letters of every style for 
almost every conceivable occasion, from 
first acquaintance to marriage, with 
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mE YOU MIRRIED? 

If you are at all interesfc<^d In the subject of Marriage, whether you are married 
•r ever expect to be, you should have a copy of the new and valuable book entitled 



The Science of a New Life. 

By JOHN COWAN, M.D. 

A Book Well Wortlx fosnesaine: by Every Tliougbtful 
Man and Woman. 

Thi^4 valuable book has received the highest testimonials and commendations 
irom leading medical and rpligious critics ; has been heartilv endorsed by all the 
leading philanthropists, and recommended to every well-wisher of the human race. 

TO ALL WHO ARE MARRIIO 

Or are contemplating marriage, it will give information worth HUNDREDS OP 
7)0LLAllS, besides conferring a lasting benefit, not only upon them, but ui on their 
children. Every thinking man and woman should study this work Any perison 
lesiriug to know more about the book before purchasing it, may send to us for our 
13-page de criptive circular, giving full and complete table of contents. It will be 
sent free by mail to any address. The following is the table of contents : 

Marriage and its Advantages ; Age at which to Marry ; The Law of Choice ; 
LoveAnalyzed ; Qualities th-- Man Should Avoid in Choosing ; Qualities the Woman 
iJhould Avoiii in Choosingr ; The Anatomy and Physiology of Generation in Women ; 
The Anatomy and Physio'ogv of Generation in Man; Amativenpss— its Use and 
Abuse; The Prevention of Conception ; The Law of Continence ; Child i en— Their 
Desirability ; The Law of Genius ; The Conception of a New Life ; The Ph vsiology 
of Inter-Uterine Growth ; Period of Gestative Influence ; Pregnancy— I' s Signs atid 
Duration; Disordnrs of Pregnancy ; Confinement ; Management of Mother and 
Child after Delivery ; Period of Nursing Influence ; Foeticide ; Diseases Peculiar to 
Woncen ; Diseases Peculiar to Men; Masturbation; Sterility aid Im^olence; 
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COMMENDATIONS. 

" Ln a careful examination of Dr. Cowan's SCIENCE OF A NEW LIFE, I am 
prepared to give it my very cordial approval. It deserves to he in every family, 
and read and pondered, as closely relating to the highest mora) and i hysicai well- 
being of ai: its iv.embers." William Llo\ d Garrison. 

'* AS it iveasier to generate a race of healthy men and women than to regener- 
itf» the d seased and discordant humanitv we now have. I hejirtily recommend the 
study of THE i^ClENCE OF A NSW LIFE to every father and mother in th« 
land Elizabeth Cai y Stanton. 

*' It "^c^ms to ur to be one of the wisest, and purest, snd mo~t hi Ipful of those 
Books vvhi(!h have been written in recent years with the intention of teaching Men 
H d Women the Ti iit'^s about their Bodies, which are of peculiar importance to 

the mcr Is of >^ociety No one can begin to imagin * the misery that ha^ 

come upon th-; human faMiiy solely through ignorance upon this subifct.'' 

The Chfil~.tian Union. 

The book is a handsome 8V0, and contains over 400 PAGES, with more than 100 
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ONE HUNDRED HOUSE PLANS, 



Building a House 

is a subject in which almost ( very man is interested at some 
period their life, and we desire to aid you if you are now 
or are liicely to become, interested in this subject of Housv 
and Home Building. We have just issued under the title 

George Palliser's Modern Buildings 

a new up-to-date book, containing OYER ONE HUNDRFD 
PLANS, all new (1901), of houses ranging in cost from $500 
t >$i t,000; also plans of Public Library Buildings, Summer 
Hotels, Stables, Public Halls, Etc., Etc. 

This book is a collection of practical designs showing ex- 
amples of houses recently built, and invaluable to everyone 
thinking of building, by reason of their having been, with 
very few exceptions, planned in the ordinary course of a 
busy architect's practice during the last few years, and built 
in various parts of the country within the prices given. 

Full description accompanies each plate, giving sizes, 
height of stories, how built and finish'ed and improvements 
contained, thus giving information of very great value to 
everyone contemplating building, as the plans and designs 
embody the best thought and most careful study of those 
erecting them, giving real results as to cost, and a guide 
that is sate to follow. These designs and plans have, there- 
lore, a value that can be fully appreciated for their practical 
utility and stand alone, as real examples, of how some 
people's homes are planned and what they cost. 

To those wanting homes or selling home sites, members 
of building associations, land companies, real estate men, 
those having land to improve, carpenters and builders, and 
everyone interested or who ever hopes to own a home, these 
{{< -signs are invaluable and will prove of very great value to 
them. It contains 115 large pages, size 11 xl4 inches Price, 
hound in heavy paper cover, sent by mail, postpaid, $1.00. 
Bound in cloth, $2.00. Sent by mail, postpaid, to any ad- 
dress on receipt of price. 



Something &RAMD NEW in Jokes I 



These books coatain more laughs to the square inch 
than any other books in the market. They are all bound 
in illustrated cover, handsomely lithographed in four 
colors, profusely illustrated throughout, and will be sent 
to any address upon receipt, in stamps or money, of 10 
cents per copy, and 5 cents additional to cover cost of 
postage. Following is the list of titles : 

1 FUN ON DRAUGHT. 

2 SOME FUNNY THIN- t6 SAID BY CLEVER PEOPLE. 

3 FIVE HUNDBTO Mh^iiRY LAUGHS. 

4 THE FUNNY WOKLl).-100 Illustrai ions. 

5 THREE HUNDRED FUNNY STORIES. 

6 TWELVE HUNDRED NEW RIDDLES. 

7 WITTY SAYINGS 

8 TWENTY GOOD BTORIES. 

9 THE GOMIO COOK BOOK. 

10 MODEL LETTER WRITER. 

11 TON OF FUN. 

12 JACK ROBINSON'S YARNS. 

13 GIPSY DREAM BOOK AND FORTUNE TELLER. 

14 FUNNY EXPERIENCES OF MR. AND MRS. BOWSER. 

15 TWO THOUSAND PRIZE JOKES. 

16 A BAD BOY'S DIARY.-Part 1. 

17 A BAD BOY'S DIARY.-Part 2. 

18 BLUNDERS OF A BASHFUL MAN. 

19 TRIALS AND TROUBLES OF THE BOWSER FAMILY. 

20 TEN FUNNY STORIES. By Opie Read. 

21 THE TRAVELS OF A TRAMP; or, The Victim of His 

Clothes. Illustrated by Thos. Worth. [Wife 

22 WIDDER DOODLE S COURTSHIP. By Josiah Allen's 

23 AMATEUR S GUiDE To MAGIC AND MYSTERY 

AND THE BLACK ART. 

24 OUR DRUMMER'S TRIP THROUGH THE SUNNY 

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25 HOW TO ENTERTAIN A SOCIAL PARTY. By Nellie 

26 SIX •* EX-TANK " T4liES. By Clarence Louis Cullen. 

27 NEW IRISH YARNS. By Mickey Finn. 

28 THE SINKER STOBIES. By J. Jospph Goodwin. 

29 NEW GERM \N YARNS. By J Jo^oph Goodwin. 

30 OLD WITCHES' BEEAM BOOK AND FORTUNE 

TELLER. 

31 TALES I'VE HEARD TOLD. By Lewis A. Leonard. 
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HAVE YOU EVER 



conic COOK BOOK? 



We publish a book under that title, and it contains more 
good laughs to the square inch than any book in the market. 
Notice a few of the recipes : 

Table Mani^ers.— In carving, should the bird slip from under your 
knife, do not appear covered with confusion, although you may be with 
,f?ravy, but simply say to the lady in whose lap the bird has landed: "I'll 
trouble you for that hen," or words to that effect, and proceed with the 
autopsy. 

To Boil Fish.— Place the bird in a kettle of cold water and let it 
boil so gently that the vv^ater will remain about as warm as a June day. 
By so doing the fish can swim about in the kettle, and come to the table, 
along with the other guests, in a not overheated condition. It will require 
about eight minutes to cook a fish weighing one pound, and of course, only 
lt)ur minutes to cook one weighing twice as much. 

To Fry Fish. — Remove the works from the interior department, pick 
off the scales, remove the teeth, and fry in a frying pan— or anything else 
which fancy dictates. 

Chicken Croquettes.— Having stunned a heavy set hen, croquet the 
dark meat through three wickets. Loose croquet the bust and other blonde 
meat until you are a rover. Chon it all up and add something to make it 
stick together, mould it into sausages, roll in bass-wood sawdust (the cro- 
quettes, not yourself). Fry in red-hot lard. 

Calves-Foot Jelly,— Get a yard of the material, i. e., three feet. 
Chicago beef is best, as the calves have the largest feet. Cut off the calf for 
future reference. Wash the feet, applying chilblain remedies when neces- 
sary, boil them for a while or fo, add enough glue to thicken; stir in a few 
molasses, strain through a cane-seated chair. Pour the amalgamation 
into a blue bowl with red pictures on it, and send the whole business to a 
sick friend. 

Angel Cake.— Chop up green apples, raisins, bananas, in quantities 
to suit; stick them in dough. Feed to the children and the angel part will 
materialize. • 

Roman Pttnch.— Only a Roman nose how to prepare this dish proper- 
ly. To prepare it, the other way add some rum to your punch. This 
should be served l)efore the roasts at dinner, but should be eaten frugally, 
as it was a Roman punch that killed Cassar. 

Emergencies.— Should a child swallow a button, lower a button-holo 
down its throat M ith a piece of strmg, pass it over the button and yank it 

out. If you see a runaway horse approaching and are unable to get out 

of his way, speak to him firmly, saying, "Lie down, sir?" 

To Tell a Bad Egg.— This depends entirely on what you wish to tell 
the egg. If it be bad news, break it gently— this applies both to the com- 
munication and the fruit. The former had better be made by telephone, 
with the safety plug in position. 

To Break a Colt.— Hit him across the back with a sledge hammer. 
One blow should be sufficient to break him— or at lca,st break his back. 

To Make Ice- Water Last.— Prepare everything else first. 

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PAINTERS' AND DECORATORS' GUIDE BOOK 

FOR THE 

Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Painter. 

By CHAS. E. WICKLIFFE, 
Master Painter, and Instructor of Painting, 

Glen Mills Industrial School. 

This Book contains Practical Information for the benefit of 
the Trade, by Chas. E. Wickliffe, who has represented the fol- 
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Co.i Decorators, Philadelphia, Pa. 



CONTENTS 



"WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD "- BUT THE PRICE 15 ONLY 25 ». 



r DECORATORS 
Guide Book 



Interior Work 
Exterior Work 
Painting Iron Work 
New Tin Roofs 
Old Tin Roofs 
Enameling 
Ivory White 
Egg Size 
Distemper Color 
Paperhangers' Paste 
Lincrusta Walton 
Plaster Relief 
White Pine Wood 
Paper-mache Relief 
Alum Size with Soap 
No. 2 Muslin Ceiling 
How to Wash Walls 
Ordinary Enameling on Woodwork 
Prepare Walls for Paint 
Preparing and Painting Walls 
No. 2 Enameling for Woodwork 
Clean Hardwood Work 
Hints on Painting Walls that Have 
with One 



FOR THE APPRENTICE, JOURNETMAJ^ | 
AND MASTER PAINTER 



CHAS.E.WICKLIFFE 

'Master F^nfer'andlnstractor 

aENMILLS INDUSTRlALSCHOOr 



PtIBLISMEO BY 



WEHMANBROS. HEW YORK 



CONTENTS 

Hardwood Floors 
Bad Ceilings 
Muslin on Ceilings 
Waxing Walls 
Hardwood Doors 
Cement Paint Putty 
Canvas on Roofs 
Roughing 
Stenciling 
Stencil Colors 
Stenciling Relief 
Quick Size 
Color Mixing 
Exterior Shingle 

Roofs 
Alum Size without 



Rough or Stucco Walls 
Distemper Wall Preparations 
Distemper Preparation 
Stenciling with Oil Colors 
Size for Paperhangers' 

Been Painted and Are to Be Repainted 

Coat of Paint. 



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The most remarkable 
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WEHMAN BROS/ NEW BOOK OF 



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No. 2 



A Collection of 350 Choice Toasts 

FOE USE OIT ALL OCCASIONS 

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A FEW SAMPLES OF WHAT THIS NEAT LITTLE BOOK 
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PUBLISHED BY 
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Here's to the breeze that blows the skirt 
Of girl, revealing ankles pert. 
Here's to angels in the skies, 
That blows the dust in bad man's eyes. 

Give me a brook, a summer night, 
A shady nook by moon's soft light ; 
A girl who's sweet and fair to see — 
And you can leave the rest to me. 

Here's to girls of every station, 
Throughout our Yankee nation. 

Here's to the girl with ruby lips, 
And may she hold full sway ; 

Her lips may be red and hard to beat- 
But I'll put mine against them any day 

Here' s to the girl with a peek-a-boo waist 
And the " clock" within her stocking: 

Supposing I were to ask her the time. 
Would it be so very shocking? 



• This is just the book you need when you 
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The Long Lost Friend, 

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and efficacy in Healing Diseases, &c. 
The greater par b of which -vvas never published until they appeared 
in print, for the first time in the United States, in the year 1820, by the 
celebrated Author and Necromancer, John George Hohman, who claims 
that whosoever carries this little book with him is safe from all his 
enemies, visible or invisible, and whosoever has this book with him can- 
not die without Holy Corps of Jesus Christ ; nor drown in any water ; 
nor burn in any fire ; nor can unjust sentences be passed upon him. I 
will name a few of the contents of this raro work : 

How to Compel a Thief to Eeturn Stolen Things; How to 
Extinguish Pire Without Water; How to Stop blood; 
How to Destroy Witches; How to Find all kinds o; 
Metals;- To Banish all Kinds of Pain; To Compel a 
Thief to Standstill; How to Fasten or spellbind any- 
thing; And many rare and valuable secrets never be- 
fore disclosed. 

This book contains 152 pages (in English or German languages)- sent 
to any part of the world, under double-sealed wrappers, postpaid, tor 
%l .00 ; three copies for $2.50. 

WEHSVIAN BROS., 126 PARK ROW, Y« 




A SIO.OO BOOK FOR m,50i 




MOORE'S 

UNIVERSAL ASSISTANT 

AND 

COMPLETE MECHANIC. 

CONTAINING 

Over One Million Industrial FactSe 



DALCOLATIONS, PROCESSES, TRADE SECRERS, RULES, LEGAL ITEMS, 
BUSINESS FORMS, etc., in every Occupation, from tne Houseliold to tlia 
Manufactory. 



A work of unequaled utility to every Mechanic, Farmer, Merchant, Business 
Man, Professional Gentlemen, and Householder, as It embraces the main points In 
over 200 Trades and Occupations. It contains 1016 pages and over 500 Ulas- 
trations. 

The following gynopais gives some idea of the value and scope of the work. 
The contents are as follows : 

Part 1.— Bread, Cracker, Pastry and Cake Bakiuj?, Domestic Cooking, etc. 
Part 2.— For Farmers, Horse Shoers, Stock Owners, Bee Keepers, etc. Part 3.— For 
Lumbermen, Carpenters, Builders, Contractors, Mill Owners, Shipbuilders, Ship 
Owners, Freighters, Navigators, Quarryraen, Merchants and Basiness men gener- 
ally. Part 4.— Natural, Mechanical and Scientific Facts. Part 5.— For Dyers, 
Clothiers, Bleachers, Hatters, Furriers and Manufacturers. Part 6.— Medical De- 
partment, for Druggists, Physicians, Dentists, Perfumers, Barbers, and general 
Family Use. Part 7.— For Grocers, Tobacconists, Confectioners, Saloon Keepers, 
Syrups, Cordials, Ice Creams, Summer Drinks, Domestic Wines, Canned Goods. 
Soaps, etc. Part 8.— For Tanners and Curriers, Boot, Shoe, Harness and Rubber 
Manufacturers, Marble and Ivory Workers, Bookbinders, Anglers, Trappers, etc. 
Part 9.— For Painters. Decorators, Cabinet Makers, Piano and Organ Manufacturers, 
Polishers, Carvers, Gilders, Picture Frame and Art Dealers, China Decorators, 
Potters, Glass Manufacturers, Glass Stalners and Gilders, Architects, Masons, 
Bricklayers, Plasterers, Stucco Workers, Kalsominers, Slaters, Roofers, etc. 
Part 10.— For Watchmakers, Jewelers, Gold and Silversmiths, Gilders, Burnishers, 
Oolorers, Enamelers, Lapidaries, Diamond Cutters, Engravers, Die Sinkers, Stencil 
Dntters, Refiners, Sweepmelters. Part 11.— For Engineers, Firemen, Engine 
Builders, Steam Fitters, Master Mechanics, Machinists, Blacksmiths Cutlers, Look 
smiths, Saw, Spring, and Safe Manufacturers, Iron and Brass Founders, M:l 
Owners, Miners, etc. Part 12.— For Art Workers, Bronzing, Dipping, b,nd Lacquer 
ing, Brass Finishers, Hardware Dealers, Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Tinman and Japan 
ners, etc. Part 13.— For Printers and Publishers, Gas Companies and Consumers, 
'Junsmiths, Contractors, Quairymen, Coal Dealers, Oil Manufacturers, Sugar Refin 
srs, Paper Manufacturers, Cotton and Woolen Manufacturers, Cutlers, Needle an<? 
File Manufacturers, Metal Smelters, etc., etc. Part 14.— The Amenities of Life, 
Useful Advice. Part 15.— Tables, etc., Embracmg Useful Calculations in every 
Business. 

Price in Cloth Binding, $2.50 ; In Leather Binding, $8.50. 
Sent by mall, postpaid, to any address on receipt of price. 



A $2.20 Book for 25 Cents! 

Old Secrets and New Discoveries. 

Oontainlng Information of Rare Value for all Cla-'jseg, in all Conditions of Society. 

It Tells all r-bout Electrical Psy- 
chology, showing Iiowyou 
can biologize any person, 
ftnd,while under the inffu- 
ence, he will do anything 
you may wish him no mat- 
ter how ridictxioas tt may 
be, and he cannot help 
doing it. 

ItTelSs how to Ifpsmerfee. Know- 
ing this.you can place any 
person in a mesmeric 
sleep, and then be able to 
^owith him as you will. 
This secret has been sold 
over and over again for 
$10. 

K Telle how to make persons at 
a distance think of you— 
Something all lovers 
should know. 

It Tells how you can charm those you meet and make them love you, whether they 
■will or not. 

It Telils how Spiritualists and others can make writing appear on the arm in blood 
characters, as performed by Foster and all noted magicians. 

It Tells how to make a cheap Galvanic Battery ; now to plate and gild without a 
battery ; how to make a candle burn ail night ; how to make a clock for 25 
cents ; how to detect counterfeit money ; how to banish and prevent mos- 
quitoes from biting ; how to make yellow butter in winter ; Circassian 
curling fluid : Sympathetic or Secret Writing Ink ; Cologne Water ; Artifi- 
cial Honey ; Stammer,' og ; how to make large noses small ; to cure drunk- 
enness ; to copy letters without a press ; to obtain fresh-blown flowers In 
winter ; to make good burning candles from iard. 

It Tells how to make a horse appear as though he -""as badly foundered ; to make 
a horse temporarily lame ; how to make hirt ^tand by his food and not eat 
it ; how to cure a horse from the crib or sucking wind ; how to put a young 
countenance on the horse ; how to cover up tho heaves ; how to make him 
appear as If he had the glanders j how to make a true-pulling horse balk ; 
how to nerve a horse that Is lame, etc., etc. These horse secrets are being 
continually sold at one dollar each. 

It Tells how to make the Eggs of Pharo's Serpents, from which, when lighted 
though but the size of a pea, there issues from It a colling, hissing serpent, 
wonderful in length and similarity to a genuine cerpent. 

It Tells how to make gold'and silver from block tin. Also how to make impres- 
sions from coins. Also how to imitate gold and silver. 

It Tells of a simple and ingenious method for copying any kind of drawing or pic- 
ture. Also more wonderful still, how to print pictures from the print Itself. 

If. T^ls how to perform the Davenport Brothers' Spirit Mysteries," so that any 
person can astonish an audience, as they have done. Also scores of other 
wonderful things of which we have no rbo3i to mention. 

OLD SECRETS AND NEW DISCOVERIES is worth $2.00 to any person ; 
t)iit it will be mailed to any address on receipt of only 25 cents. Postage stamps 
taKen in payment for it the same as cash. 




A DOLLARS WORTH OF FUN FOR 10 CENTS. 



WEHMAN BROS.' 
NEW BOOK OF 



mm QmmmuM^ 



PRICE 10 CENTS 

WEHMAN BROS 
M^W BOOK OF 

lOOO 




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fViOHOLOGUEB. 

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AND 

CONTAIN flSTCr tho latest HebreA 
Dutcli ah'i lii.sii .l.kes, CuiiUDdruiii 
Riddles, Epioapii-s and Mouoluguea 

TOLD BY 

WEBER & FIELDS. EZRA KENDALL. 



ROGER BROS. 
CHARLIE CASE, 
JAS. J. MORTON. 
JOHN D. GILBERT. 
GEO. THATCHER. 
JAS. R. GLENROY. 
DAVE WARFIELD. 
LEW DOCKSTADER 
LAWRENCE & 
and other well-known Comedians 

Sent by mail, post-pairl, to any 
dress, on receipt of 10 Cents. 



JAMES THORNTON 
GEO. F. GOLDEN. 
LONEY HASKELL. 
JOHN W. KELLY. 
DIGBY BELL. 
BILLY VAN. 
FRANK BUSH. 
JOE WELSH. 
HARRINGTON. 



WEHMAN BROS. 




REVISED ED[T[0^ 
Fub,:st.')»=' WEHMAN Bros. 



Easy Method for Learning 

GERMAN piGKLY 

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

A new system, on the most simple 
principles, for universal self-tuition, 
with complete English pronunciation of 
every word. Next to our own, the Ger- 
man language is the most prevalent in 
this country to-day, as a large percent 
age of our population are either Ger 
mans or of German extraction, there 
fore the German language is worth 
knowing. With the aid of this book any 
person can acquire a thorough know- 
ledge of the German language, as the 
method for learning is so simple that 
a child could understand it. This edi- 
tion has been revised and corrected by 
H. A. C. Anderson, M D. It is simply 
worth its weight in gold. Sent by mail, 
post-paid, on receipt of 25 Cents. 



ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 



WEHMAH 

136 PAKK KOW^ 



NEW YOlili. 



LOVE AND A WAY. 15 cents. A comedy in 3 acts and i scene, by 
F-VELYN SiMMS. 4 female characters. Scene, a sitting-room. Time, ij^ hours. 
fhyllis^ a young girl, loving and beloved by Jack Peinberton^ a rich young man, 
refuses to marry him because her maiden aunts consent and every one wishes it. 
Jack is reported to have lost his fortune, and now she wants to marry^rtr/i-, with whom 
her aunts forbid any communication. By the aid of her friend Beatrice an elopement 
is planned and carried out, and a most surprising climax is sprung upon the audience. 

CRISS CROSS* 15 cents. A slcetch of heroic self-d enial in i act, by 
Rachei^ Crothers. I male, 2 female characters. Parlor scene. Time, 20 minutes. 
Ann Chadwick is guardian of her cousin Cecily who is engaged to Jack Allister. 
Jack is beginning to care for Ann^ who loves him secretly, but is true to Cecily 
ignores his advances, and brings about CeciVs marriage to Jack by her heroic self- 
sacrifice-, A desirable curtain raiser. 

PUZZLED DETECTIVE, A. 15 cents. A farce In 3 acts and 
3 interior scenes, by L. E. U. Snow. 5 male, 3 female characters. Time, i hour, 
A letter inclosing money, abstracted by a darkey who cannot read, causes Ned 
Walton^ the detective, to get his clients' affairs all muddled up, resulting in absurd 
.situations, especially when the darkey is supposed to be Walton in disguise. A 
needy doctor finds his daughter, a brother discovers his sister, and two girl chums 
become sisters-in-law, to their great satisfaction, and the muddle is cleared up. ; 

NEW REPORTER, The. 15 cents. A farce in i act and i Interior 
?cene, by Franklin Johnston. 6 male, 2 female characters. Time, 45 minutes. 
Hobbs^ the proprietor of a newspaper, is expecting a new reporter whom he has 
engaged on trial. Nancy ^ Hobbs's daughter, persuades her lover, Jack^ who is 
unknown to her father, to personify the new reporter, and gets to work. The 
blunders he makes, and the arrival of Tupper^ the real reporter, results in a general 
flare up, until explanations are made, and Tupper is persuaded by Nancy to retire in 
favor of Jack, 

CONFESSIONS OF A MALE FLIRT, 15 cents. A monologue, 

by Lawrence D. Fogg, in which a bachelor, on the eve of his wedding, while burn- 
ing his love correspondence, recalls to mind some of the girls with whom he has been 
in love, with his hopes, his successes, and his disappointments. A strange medley of 
humor and heart-burnings, ending with a pathetic climax. Note — At the end, while 
the performer's head is buried in his hands, a procession may pass slo^vly by, repre- 
senting the girls he has been describing; similar in efiect to the scenes in the 
" Reveries of a Bachelor." 

SHOW AT WILKIN'S HALL, The. 15 cents, a comedy costume 
monologue for a lady or gentleman in female costume, by Bertha M. Wilson. A 
" Take-Off " on Delsarteans in 2 scenes ; the second can be given without the first, 
being complete In itself. A sure hit. 

BERNSTEIN AND FIRESTEIN. 15 cents, a vaudeville sketch 

in Hebrew dialect for 2 male characters, by James F. Parsons. Time, about 15 
minutes. Exceedingly funny both in ludicrous topics, Sheeney hits and droll repartee ; 
concluding with the song "Oh, My ! Von't We Make der Money !" for which the 
text and music are given. 

TWO WANDERING JEWS. 15 cents, a vaudeville sketch in 
Hebrew dialect, for 2 male characters, by Harry E. Shelland. Time, about 15 min-- 
utes. Full of funny and catchy dialogue and repartee, and ending with a song. 

NEW CHAUFFEUR, The. is cents, a vaudeville automobile skit, 
for 2 male characters, by Harry E. Shelland. Time, about 15 minutes. A Dutch 
brewer hires an ignorant Irishman for chauffeur. A terrible catastrophe and a racy 
dialogue in which Pat gets the better of the Dutchman. Just too funny and leading 
up to dialect minstrelsy. 



Any of the above plays will be sent postpaid on receipt of pficev 



POPULAR HAND-BOOKS. 



Dick's Home Made Candies ; or, How to Make Candy in 

tlie Kitchen- Containing complete Directions for making all the newest 
and most delicious Cream Confections, with boiled syrup, or by the 
French method without boiling : also the best receipts for all the favor- 
ite Candies, Bon-bons, Glaces, Caramels, Taffy, etc., with perfectly 
harmless flavorings and colorings, including all the information for 
syrup-boiling, clarifying, and the use of utensils, necessary to insure the 
most successful results <, 25 cts. 

Confectioner's Hand-Book. Giving plain and practical direc- 
tions for making Confectionery. Containing upward of three hundred 
Recipes, consisting of directions for making all sorts of Candies, Jellies, 
Comfits, Preserves, Sugar Boiling, Iced Liquors, Waters, Gum, Paste and 
Candy Ornaments, Syrups, Marmalades, Essences, Fruit, Pastes, Ice 
Creams, Icings, Meringues, Chocolates, etc,, etc. A complete Hand-Book 
of the Confectioner's Art. Price 35 cts. 

The Amateur Trapper and Trap-Maker's Guide- A com- 
plete and carefully prepared treatise on the art of Trapping, Snaring and 
Netting. This comprehensive work is embellished with fifty engraved 
illustrations ; and these, together wilh the clear explanations which ac- 
company them, will enable anybody of moderate comprehension to make 
and set any of the traps described. It also gives the baits usually em- 
ployed by the most successful Hunters and Trappers, and exposes their 
secret methods of attracting and catching animals, birds, etc., with 

scarcely a possibility of failure. Large 16mo, paper 50 els. 

Boards 75 cts. 

Rarey & Knowlson's Complete Horse Tamer and Farrier. 

A New and Improved Edition, containing: Mr. Rarey's Whole Secret of 
Subduing and Breaking Vicious Horses; His improved plan of Managing 
Young Colts, and Breaking them to the Saddle, to Harness and the Sulky; 
Rules for Selecting a Good Horse, and for Feeding Horses. Also the Com- 
plete Farrier or Horse Doctor; being the result of fifty years' extensive 
practice of the author, John G. Knowlson, during his life an English Far- 
rierof high popularity ; containing the latest discoveries in the cure of 
Spavin. Illustrated with descriptive engravings. Boards, cloth.. 50 cts. 

Holberton's Art of Angling ; or, How and Where to Catch 

Fish. A practical Hand-Book for learners in everything that pertains to 
the art of fishing with Rod and Reel. By Wakeman Holberton, Fully 
illustrated. It describes the special methods and appliances requisite to 
catch each variety of the finny tribe, and the most favorable localities to 
find them ; with practical hints on camping oiit, necessary outfit, and the 
best choice of apparatus and baits, etc. Cloth, flexible 50 cts. 

The Amateur Printer ; or, Type-Setting at Home- A thor- 
ough and complete instnictor for the amateur in all the details of the 
Printer's Art, giving practical information in regard to type, ink, paper 
and all the implements requisite, with illustrated directions for using 
them in a proper manner. Paper 35 cts. 

The Painter's Hand-Book- A thorough Guide to all that 

pertains to internal and external plain and tasteful House-painting. It 
explains the nature of the pigments or materials in general use, the best 
methods for their preparation and appliance, and the art of mixing colors 
to produce any desired tint or shade; with valuable receipts, hints and 
information to amateurs and experts 35 ctSo 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Dk'k's Theatrical Make-tJp Book, Containing a complete 

description of the face-paints, face-creams and other cosmetics for 
making-np the face, neck, hands, &c., and their application in the most 
approved manner; with detailed methods for improving or altering the 
appearance of each separate feature in accordance with the character 
assumed, and illustrated instructions for making-up for youth, niiddlcrage 
and old-age, and for the proper measurements of the head for wigs. 
Including also a comprehensive list of fancy, national and historical parts 
with the characteristic make-up for their representation. „o... 2 5 cts. 

Gypsy Witches Fortune Cards. A special pack of fifty- 
two cards, extensively used by Professional Fortune-tellers, which fulfill 
all the conditions of a regular pack of playing-cards ; but, by their 
grotesquely suggestive designs, they introduce a degree of cabalistic 
mystery eminently calculated to arrest the attention and impress the 

minds of the uninitiated c » $i .OO 

(These cards are prepared specially for the Profession, and are not 
accompanied by any specific directions. But, for the enlightenment of the 
inquisitive a book containing general directions will be sent with the 
cards for 15 cents additional). 

Diviners Fortune-Telling Cards. A set of fifty-four cards 

embodying the tifty-two cards of a regular pack, and two in addition 
representing^ respectively the gentleman or lady desiring to penetrate the 
mysteries of the future. The cards are profusely illustrated by colored 
designs, all of which are fraught with portentous meaning dependent upon 
their relative position. These cards are the most complete and thorough 
ever made, and if used according to the little book of instructions which 

accompany them, are unfailing in their results ^ 1 .OO 

(The book of instructions can be furnished either in English or in 
German, and it should be specified which is desired when ordering). 

The American Boy's Own Book of Sports and Grames. 

Expressly designed to amuse and instruct American boys in all seasons, 
both in and out-doors ; illustrated by over 600 engravings. An elegant 
gift for a boy, affordine endless instruction and recreation. 
12 mo., extra cloth binding „ „ . , 32.00 

Tiie Twelve Decisive Battles of the War, A history oi 

Eastern and Western Campaigns and their important bearings on the 
result of the struggle for the Union, with seven portraits of the leading 
Generals and nine maps of battle-fields. By William Swinton. This is a 
thoroughly impartial narrati\'e of the Twelve Battles, being based entirely 
on the reports and private papers of tlie Generals commanding on both 
siUes.,.., , .....^3.50 

Dinner Napkins and How to Fold Them. Containing plain 

directions for arranging and folding napkins for the dinner-table. By 
Georgiana C. Clark. It teaches by illustrated designs, how to transform 
a plain Napkin into an attractive and ornamental appendage to the dinner 

table 25 Cts. 

The American M)me Cook Book. Containing several hun- 
dred excellent recipes, based on many years' experience of a thorough 
Housewife. Illustrated with engravings, and wrftten from actual experi- 
ence in cooking 50 CtS. 

Soyer's Standard Cookery for the People. By Alexis Soyer. 

The plain and familiar style adopted in describing the detajis of culinary 
operations commends itself to all housekeepers who desire wholesome »nd 
appetizing dishes for every day purposes 30 CtS. 

The American Housewife and Kitchen Directory. This 

valuable book contains nearly four hundred recipes for cooking ail sorts of 
dishetj most economically....,.,,.,.,,, 30 cts. 



ni T P 

ENDEAVOR 

in selling books to you, is to 
have you feel that you ara get 
ting your money's worths 
We therefore desire to call your 
special attention to the following 

Four Books in 
ONE, 

w jg You are Courting, 
which I I You want to Court, or 
* ^ You want to be Courted, 

you should obtain at the earliest possible moment. 



HQW TO WOO; WHEN AN I> WHOM, which gives 
full and interesting rules for the etiquette of courtship, 
the time and place for conducting the same, and some 
good advice as to the selection of your partner for life, 

COURTSHIP AND MABBIAGE, which tells how to 
win the favor of the ladies, how to begin and end a court- 
ship, and how to ** Pop the Question and also gives full 
information in regard to the invitations, gifts, usherSj, 
bridesmaids, conduct of the wedding ceremony, etCo, etc. 

THE LOVEBS' COMPANION, which gives the flirtao 
tions of the handkerchief, parasol, glove, fan and napkin s 
also, the language of flowers ; how to kiss deiiciously ; and 
a cure for bashf ulnees. 

THE POPULAM LETTER WTtlTEB, which tells how 
to write business, social, and love letters, giving numer-^ 
ous examples of all. 

This valuable work, containing the four hooks above 
mentioned, is issued in one volume under the title HOW 
TO WOO, and it will be sent to any address, postpaid, uporj 
feceipt of 25 cents in postage stamps or money. 




BOXIN&AND WRESTLING. 



How to Join a Circus- This contains all the information 

necessary for those who desire to qualify themselves for the Circus or 
Gymnasium ; with hints to Amateurs and advice to Professional per- 
formers ; affording thorough instruction in all branches of the business. 
Illustrated. By the celebrated Tonj' Deuier- By carefully following the 
advice and instruction contained in this book, any person with a moder- 
ate degree of perseverance can become proficient in all the startling acts 
on the horizontal bar, flying trapeze, and other evolutions that challenge 
the admiration of all who behold them. 104 pages ...... o . ^ ... - . 35 cts. 

Jerry Thomas' Bar Tender's Guide; or How to Mix all 

kinds of Fancy Drinks ■ An entirely new edition; new plates; new drinks 
Containing clear and reliable directions for mixing all the beverages used 
in the United States. Embracing Punches, Juleps, Cobblers, Cocktails, 
etc., etc., in endless variety. Bj- Jerry Thomas. This work also contains 
the best receipts for preparing bottled Punch, bottled Cocktails, Punch 
Essences, etc., after the most approved methods; also, all the newest 
Egg Noggs, Fizzes, Slings, Sours, and other Fancy Drinks in endless 

variety. 16mo, illuminated paper cover....... 50 cts. 

16mo. cloth „ 75 cts. 

Fancy Drinks and Popular Beverag-es. How to prepare 

and serve over five hundred American and other drinks in every known 
variety. By " The Only William." Includins: the latest recipes for mak- 
ing Essences, Cordials. I,iqueurs, etc. Everything up to date 50 cts. 

Bound in cloth..., 0..0.0 00..,.,...,.. ...... ,,..$1,00 

Dick's Art of Wrestling. A New Hand-Book of thorough in- 
struction in Wrestling, with the accepted Rules to be observed in the 
different methods of wrestling generally adojited at the present time. 
Fully illustiated by well-designed engravings, exhibiting allthe aggres- 
sive and defensive positions necessary for success < „ „ . 25 cts<, 

Price's Science of Self- Defense. Illustrated with Eagravings. 

This book was written by Ned Price, the celebrated boxer, and is the best 
work that was ever written upon the subject of Sparring and Wrestling. 
It contains all the tricks and stratagems resorted to by professional box- 
ers, and the de.scriptions of the passes, blows and parries are all clearly 
ex;)lained by the aid of numerous diagrams and engravings. That por- 
tion of the work which treats on wrestling is particularly thorough, and is 
well illustrated with engravings. Boards o . 75 cts. 

Jled Donnelly's Art of Boxing". A thorough Manual of Spar- 
ring and Self-Defence, illustrated with Forty Engravings, sbowing the 
various Blow.-^, Stops and Guards ; by Ned Donnelly, Professor of Boxing 
to the London Athletic Club, etc., etc. This work explains in detail 
every movement of attack and defence. Including the London Prize Ring 
Rules, and revised Marquis of Queensbury's Rules .25 ctst 

The Art of Attack and Defence. A Manual of Fencing Sword 
Boxing' Made Easy; or, The Complete Manual of Self-De- 

f 3ase.. Clearly explained and Illustrated in a Series of Easy Lessons with 
some important Hints to Wrestlers.. ; t^T.. . .15^4^ 




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LOVE, COURTSHIP AND MATRIMONY. 



The Art and Etiquette of Making Love. A Manual of 

Love, Courtship and Matrimony. It tells 

How to break off an engagement. 



How to cure bashfulness, 
Hoiv to commence a courtship. 
How to please a sweetheart or Lover, 
How to write % love-letter. 
How to " pop the question" , 
How to act hi fore and after a proposal 
How to accept or reject aproposa'. 



Hoio to act after an engagement. 
How to act as bridesmaid or grooms- 
man. 

How the etiquette of a wedding and all 
the details of the after reception should 
be observed. 



And in fact, how to fulfill every duty and meet every contingency con- 
nected -vvith ('ourtship and matrimony. 176 pages. Paper covers. . 30 cts. 
Bound in boards, cloth back o 50 cts. 

Howard's Book of Love Poetry. A curious and Beautiful 

Collection of Tenderly Delicate, Sweetly Patlietic and Amusingly Quizzi- 
cal Poetical Love-Addresses, coiitaiijiug a large number of the most ad- 
mired selections from the leading Poets suitable for quotations in Love 
Letters, and applicable to all phases and contingencies incident to the 
tender passion . 141 pages = 35 cts. 

Courtship Made Easy ; or, The Art of Making" Love Fully 

Explained- Containing full directions for Conducting a Courtship with 
Ladies of every age and Position in society, and valuable information for 
persons who desire to enter the marriage state. Also, forms of Love- 
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How to Win and How to Woo. Containing Eules for the 
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a reliable book at a price within the reach of all. Paper 15 cts. 

Dictionary of Love. Containing a Definition of all the terms 

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Anecdotes of Love. Being a true account of the most re- 
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Poet's Companion. A Dictionary of all Allowable Rhymes 
in the English Language. This gives the Perfect the imperfect and Allow- 
able Ehymes, and will enable yo^^ to ascertain to a certainty whether any 
word can be mated. It is invaluable to any one who desires to court the 
Muses, and is used by some of the best writers in the country 25 cts. 

Green's 100 Tricks With Cards, By J. H. Green, reformed 

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mysteries of the Gambling Table. It is interesting not only to those who 
play, but to those who do not. Old Players will get some new ideas 
from this curious book. Paper. 30 cts. 

The Wizard of the North's Hand-Book of Natural Magic. 

Being a series of Tricks of Deception, arranged for Amateurs. By Pro- 
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BOOKS ON CARD GAMES. 



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on Draw Poker, giving minute and detailed information on the various 
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THE GOLDEN ROD AND MARRIAOE GUIDE OR 

THE NEW ILLUSTRATED SILENT FRIEND 

MARRIAGE GUIDE A KD MEDICAL ADVISER . 

Being a Complete Guide to Health, Happiness and "Wealth, Containing 
Information for the Million, never before published. Explains all 
the Ancient and modern Discoveries in Philosophy, Natural and 
Celestial Magic, -with Receipts for making the best and most 
Money-Making Article of the Age, so that anyone with a 
little energy and perseverance can realize a steady in- 
come of from $3,C03 to $5,000 per annum. 
No man or woman with this book in their library need sufZer in health 
or pocket as it points out remedies for diseases hitherto deemed incura- 
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pay them for their labor as to the earljr settlers did the gold diggings of 
Austraha and CaUf ornia. It is hiQhly interesting and completely throws 
into the shade all other works of tlio kind, audits sale is certain to ex- 
tend from one end of the universe to the other, and enable mankind to 
Ijnow themselves and the wonders that science and research have re- 
vealed to us, not only in this world but beyond its limits. 

First as a guide to the preservation of 
that health which they possess; and 
secondly, to point sure and certain 
means whereby they cannot fail to ob- 
tain more than sufficient of this world's 
goods ; to sum up, the reader of its pdges 
may, Vvath industry , in a few years, be 
worth One Hundred Thousand Dollars, 
and that by fair and legitimate means. 

The practical money -making receipts 
are alone a fortune to any intelhgent, 
enterrpising person. There is at the 
present; time, persons both here and in 
Europe, that are getting from $5 to $25 
each for them, whilst in the Illustrated Silent Friend they are all given 
for the cost of the work. 

The household receipts are of considerable importance and value to 
every good housekeeper. They explain in a simple and easy manner 
how to make, at very little cost, a number of delicious dishes— sauces, 
pickles, preserving, etc., etc. It teaches how to make artificial honey as 
gvjod or nearly so as that made by bees ; costs very httle, yet sells at 
enormous profits. It teaches something every farmer ought to know, 
and that is how to produce from his land large crops at little cost by ar- 
tificial manui'es. This is all given so ho can by a cheap and easy Rrocess 
produce them at one-fourth the cost charged in large cities; no 
machinery- required. 

It would be impossible in the limits of this circular to convey to the 
reader anything but a faint and meagre outline of the mass of valuable 
information to be found only in the "New Illustrated Silent Friend." 
Send your order in at once . We guarantee entire satisfaction or refund 
your money. Price H per copy ; 3 copies for $3 ; 13 copies for $6. 

A.DDRESS ALL OBDEBS DIBECT TO 

WEHMAN BROS., 

126 PARK ROW, NEW "Y^ORK^ 




Price $1,00. 



6th & 7th 

BOOKS 



OF 



SMOSES 



Translated under our personal supervision into the English Language, and 
published by us for the first time. With exact copies of over One Hundred and 
Twenty-PiveSeals,[Signs,|Emblems, etc., used by Moseft,, Aaron, Israelites, 
Egyptians, etc., in their astonishing magical and other arts, including the pe- 
riod oftime covered by the Old and New Testaments. This wonderful trans- 
lation is of great importance to she Christian, Deist, Jews or Gentiles, Episco- 
palian or Boman Catholic, and dissenters of every denomination. The extracts 
from the old and rare Mosaic Books of the Talmud and Cabala are invaluable. 
This book gives the use of the Psalms for the bodily welfare of man by the 
Eminent translator, Godi'key Selig. Moses, the 
great lawgiver oflsrael, wrote the first five books 
of Holy Writ. These are generally known as the 
Five Books of Moses. It is believed, and known to 
comparatively few, that there were two more books 
written by him, known as the Sixth and Seventli 
Books of Moses, To these we wish to draw your 
attention. Writing, manuscripts, etc., of precious 
worth have existed for ages past that could be 
tracedtothetimeof Moses, but few of these have 
been published, except in small fragments. This 
is accounted for by the fact that the high priests, 
clergy, and heads of various religious bodies were 
unwilling that the people should be given those 
deeper myst o rics, being fearful of losing their hold 
on them. Another reason is that it was feared the 
information would be used for unlawful purposes. 
Itis scarcely possible that Moses: confined his lit- 
erature to the first five books of the Bible, if we 
take into consideration the lengthened period of 
his life and changes of his association. We find in 
Acts 7;22that Moses was learned in wisdom of the' 
Egyptians until his fortieth year. He acquired 
during his residence at the Court ofPharoah many 
Egyptian arts in his constant intercourse with learned men. He became 
adept in these magical arts practiced by them. We find in Exodus 7:11 Moses 
cast his rod before the King, which became a serpent, Pharoah sent for his 
magicians, who also cast down their rods, which, by their enchantments, also 
became serpents. Fewpersons have not some belief in these strange and of- 
tentimes unexplained influences that seem to surround us through life for good 
or evil and it is honestly thought that the study of this work, the Sixth and 
Seventh Books of Moses, will be a source of happiness and pioFperity to mil 
lions. The fanatic may say that this publication will foster superstition, but 
the enlightened and unprejudiced will perceive that the translation into the 
English language will certainly be more serviceable than all previous produc 
tionsywhich were only circulated in abstract form.and sold at extortionatt 
prices. 

These engravings are exact copies of those by; the Israelites and 
Egyptians to accomplish the designs for good or evil, and are separate- 
ly explained. This book has become enormously popular. Beware of 
liiimbugs. volumes I and II bound together in one „volume. 

Price $1.00 per copy; three copies for $2.00. We also have a German 
edition at $2.00 per copy. 

ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 



OR — 

' Magical Spirit- Art! 



WEHMAN BROS., 

126 PARK ROW, NEW XORK, 



WEHMAN BROS.' 

100 POPULAR, 

COMIC, DRAMATIC AND DIALECT 

RSCITATIOIVS No. 1. 



PRICE, JO CENTS. 



Age of Man and Woman, The. 

Antony and Cleopatra. 

Arab's Farewell to His Steed, The. 

Asleep at the Switch. 

Baby, Der. 

Barbara Fritchie (German version) 
Baseball. 

Battle of Fontenoy, The. 
Betsey and I Are Out. 
Betsey Destroys the Paper. 
Bingen on the Rhine. 
Bivouac of the Dead, The. 
Calibre Fifty-Four. 
Casablanca. 
Catastrophe, A. 

Charge of the Dutch Brigade, The. 
Christmas Day at the Workhouse. 
Colomb. 

Dandy Fifth, The. 

Daschen on the Rhine. 

Dog and the Tramp, The. 

Dorkins' Night. 

Dot Baby of "Mine. 

Dot Stoppern Pony. 

Down by the Rio Grande, or Lasca. 

Draw Poker. 

Dying Umpire, The. 

Dyin' Vords of Isaac. 

Evening Idol, An. 

Excelsior. 

Face Upon the Floor, The. 
Gladiator, The. 
Glove and the Lion, The. 
Go Vay, Becky Miller. 
Her Little Valise. 
Home Attractions. 
How Salvator Won. 
How to Cure a Cough. 
I Can't. 

I Fights Mit Sigel. 
In the Dark. 
Irishman's Letter, An. 



The. 



Lasca, or Down by the Rio Grande. 
Laugh in School, The. 
Leedle Yawcob Strauss. 
Level and the Square, The. 
Liberty Enlightens the World. 
Lights o' London, The. 
Man and His Shoes. 
Maniac, The. 
Ma's Baby. 
Maud Muller. 
McGinty's Horse. 
Miller and the Maid, 
Modern Belle, The. 
Mulhaley on Baseball. 
My First Cigar. 
Nobody. 
O' Grady's Goat. 
Only a Pin. 
O Reilly's Billy Goat. 
Pat's Letter. 
Schnitzerl's Velocipede. 
Schoemaker's Boy, Der. 
Sheridan's Ride. 
Similar Case, A. 
Some Simple Says. 
'Specially Jim. 
Strauss's Boedry. 
Supposing. 

That Vicious Old Bucket. 

Truth in Parenthesis. 

Two Bootblacks. 

Village Blacksmith, The. 

Watermill, The. 

We Reap What We Sow. 

Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea, A. 

What Water Will Do. 

When McGee's 9 Played the Mets, 

Why the Mule Escaped. 

Wreck of the Hesperus, The. 

Yaller Dog's Love for a Nigger, A 

Yuba Dam. 



ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 

WEHMAN BROS., 

126 PARK EOW, NEW YORK. 



Being the Approved, Verified, Sympathetic and Natural 

SECRETS 

or, White and Black Art for Man and Beast. The Book of 
Nature and Hidden Secrets and Mysteries of Life Un- 
veiled, being the Forbidden Knowledge of An- 
cient Philosophers, by the Celebrated Stu- 
dent, Philosopher, Chemist, Etc. 
Translated from, the German. Three Separate •volumes all hound 
in one. 

Albertus, Surnamed Magnus, from the Latinizing of Ms surname, 
which was Great, was a native of Suabia, and born in 1215 , He was ar- 
dently desirous of acquiring knowledge, and studied with assiduity ; 
but being of slow comprehension, his progress was not adequate to his 
expectations, and, therefore, in despair, he resolved to relinqtiish books, 
and bury himself in retirement. One night, however, he saw the vision 
of a beautiful woman, who accosted him, and inquired the cause of his 
grief. He replied that in spite of all his efforts to acquire information, 
he feared he should always remain ignorant. "Have you so httle faith," 
repUed the lady, "as to suppose that your prayers will not obtain what 
you cannot of yourself accomphsh?" The young man prostrated him- 
self at her feet, and she promised all that he desired, but added that as 
he preferred philosophy to theology, he should lose his faculties before 
his death. She then disappeared and the prediction was accomplished. 
Albertus became, imwilUngly, Bishop of Ratisbon,but he relinquished 
the See within three years, and resided chiefly at Cologne, where he 
produced many wonderful works. It was said that he constructed an 
automaton which both walked and spoke, answered questions and solved 
problems submitted to it. Thomas Aquinas, who was the pupil of Al- 
bertus, was so alarmed on seeing this automaton, which he conceived to 
be the work of the devil, that he broke it to pieces and committed it to 
the flames. When William, Court of Holland, and King of the Bomans, 
was at Cologne, Albertus invited him to a banquet, and promised that 
his table should be laid out in the middle of his garden, although it was 
then Winter, and severe weather. William accepted the invitation, 
and on arriving at the house of Albertus, was surprised to find the tem- 
perature of the air as mild as in summer, and the banquet laid out in an 
arbor formed of trees and shrubs covered with leaves and flowers, ex- 
haling the most delicious odors, which filled the whole of the garden. 
Albertus was reputed a magician, but nevertheless, after his death, 
which occurred in 1293, in his seventy-seventh year he was canonized. 

THIS EXTRAORDSMARY WORK 

sometimes called the great "Pow-Wov/ or Magic Cure Book," is held by 
thousands to be the only sure means toavoid sickness in their famihes ; 
to make them fortunate in their crops and stock raising, and prosperous 
in all their undertakings, enabling them to acquire wealth, honor and 
esteem amongst their friends and neighbors. Mailed, postpaid, to any 
address on receipt of $1.00 for a single copy, or three copies, to one ad- 
dress, for $2.00. In German language, $1.00. Address, 

■WBKMAH BROS., 126 PAEK BOW, N. Y, 





EVERY-DAY EDUCATOR 



OR, 



How To Do Business. 

Prepared for Ambitious Americans by 
Prof. SEYMOUR EATON. 



fie BrigMest and Best Help Manual ever issued in this Country. 

fiach of the numerons departments forms a unique feature. Here are the titles of a f ew^ 




BOOK-KEEPING, BANKING, CORRESPONDENCE, 
ARITHMETIC, FRENCH, GERMAN, 
LESSONS IN ELECTRICITY, ASTRONOMY, 
PENMANSHIP, PHYSICAL CULTURE, 
HOW TO WRITE FOR THE PRESS, 
F/GURE SHORTHAND, LESSONS IN DRAWING, 
TELEGRAPHY, FACTS and FIGURES, 
THESE BODIES OF OURS, GAMES AND PUZZLES, 

CHARACTER IN HANDS, 
900D OPENINGS IN NEV/ TRADES, U. S. HISTORY, 
PUBLIC SPEAKING, HOW TO GET A START, 
LITERATURE, AUTHORS and BOOKS. 




But why , go further? Get the book and we guarantee you will say it is a i\uy 
•head of anything you have seen before. 



The Every-Day Educator contains 240 pages. Handsomely printed on 
fine paper. Fully illustrated. Substantially bound in cloth, and in every respect a 
perfect specimen of advanced book-makmg, price, 75 cents ; bound in paper cover, 
25 cerst» Sent m mail, postpaid, to any address on receipt of price. Agents wanted. 




Will €mm 



TRICKS WITH COINS 

on. 

Modern Coin Manipulation 

BY T. NELSON DOWNS "KENG OF KQINS," 

' PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

A full and complete expose (illustrated) 
of the Author's World-Fainous Coin Crea- 
tion, " The Miser's Dream," including the 
correct method of executing the Contin- 
uous Back and Front-Hand Palm. 

A series of absolutely new Passes with 
Coins, including eleven distinct and dif- 
ferent methods of causing the disappear- 
ance of a single coin. 

This book contains a complete explana- 
tion, with illustrations of every Coin Trick 
known. Written in a plain, easy, compre- 
hensive style, which makes it the very 
best book on coins tricks published. To 
the professional and amateur this book 
will be an interesting addition to the al- 
ready great number of works, on what 
many consider to be the most fascinating art of the period. 174 
pages, 89 illustrations. Printed on good quality of paper, with hand- 
some colored cover. Sent post-paid to any address on receipt of 25 cts. 




MODERN COIN MANIPULATION 

wiNelson mms "king of koinsI 

PuBLisHtos^ WEHMAN3R0S. "^vow. 



NEW 
BOOK OF 



BLOR TBI0ICS AM CARIES 

HOME-MADE APPARATUS 

PRSCE, 25 CENTS. 

This new book contains a grand collection 
of 150 simple, wonderful and astonishing 
Parlor Tricks and Games. The instructions 
for performing them are so plainly given 
that any child, with a little practise, can do 
them, as they only require simple appara- 
tus, v/hich can be found in any home, such 
as Eggs, Candles, Thread, Corks, Matches, 
Coizis, Cards, Handkerchiefs, Paper, Glass, 
Knives, Bottles, Rings, Toothpicks, Twine, 
Dice, Chairs, Nails, Hats, Dominoes, Balls, 
Envelopes, Water, Nuts, etc. Simple little 
parlor games, that will help old and young 
to pass many an idle hour in mirth-provok- 
ing and amusing pastimes. 50 illustrations. 
No one should fail to secure a copy of this 
book of magic and games. Printed on a 

f ood quality paper, with handsome illus- 
rated cover in colors. Sent by mail, post- 
paid, to any address, on receipt of 25 Cents. 




ADDRESS ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO 



WBHMAiT BEOS., 126 PARK BOW, N. Y. 



GOOD STORIES WRITTEN FROM PLAYS 



FOR HER CHILDREN'S SAKE — 12mo, 190 pages, paper cover, 
2S cents. This is one of tlie most pathetic and interesting stories w€ 
have ever issued. It is written from the wonderfully successful play ol 
the same name by Theodore Kremer. Three companies are now giving 
this play in various parts of the country. 

THE FATAL WEDDING.— 12mo, 160 pages, paper cover, 25 cts. 
This is one of the most popular plays ever presented. The play is writ- 
ten by Theodore Kremer, and this story written from the play is by 
Louis G. Menke. Three companies are now giving this play, and there 
is a great demand for the story. 

THE SHOW GIRL.— 12mo, 250 pages; illustrated; paper cover, 
25 cents. This story is written by Olive Harper from the popu.:^r pla;^ 
of the same which has been such a popular and well -deserved yjiccess. 

ROBERT EMMET — By George Morehead. 12ino, 300 pages; 
illustrated; paper cover, 25 cents. This is one of the b^? ;: '»oks eva 
written upon the life and story of love of the Irish Patriot., . ^; ^exy one 
that is interested not only in a good play but in a story o:: ^ dsb. Iov» 
and sacrifice, should read this book. 

FRANCESCA DA RIMINL~-By George Morehead, 12nio, 19*^ 
pages; illustrated; paper cover, 25 cents. This is an intensely dramatic 
love story, which will interest ail readers, and the fact that Sarah 
Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse are both engaged as the leading charac- 
ter in the play will give this book a large sale. 

THE STORY OF FRANCOIS VILLON. Tiie Hero of tlie Play 
"If I were King." now being played by E. H. Sothern,— By George More- 
head. 12mo, 160 pages, paper cover, 25 cents. The romantic story of 
this man's life reads like a fairy tale. His experiences will interest all 
classes of people, and dealers will do v/ell to order a supply at once. 

" NELL QWYN," Sweet Nell of Old. Drury."— By George 
Morehead. 12mo, 140 pages; illustrated; paper cover, 25 cents. This is 
the romantic story of the life of JNeli Gwyn, the famous and wonderful 
beauty who charmed kings and princes by her wonderful power. We 
issue this in response to a frequent demand for it, and this volume is the 
most complete and faithful history of her life ever given to the public. 

'WAY DOWN EAST, A Homance of New England Life.— By 
Joseph R. Grismer, 12mo, 2UG pages; with six illustrations; paper cover, 
25 cents. This book is founded on the play of ihe same name by Lottie 
Blair Parker, and elaborated by Joseph R. Grismer. It is a strong, 
pure, clean, touching story of home life in New England, and bids fair 
to outrival "The Old Homestead" in public popularity. 

WHEN WE WERE TWENTY=ONE.— 12nio, 256 pages; ^ith 
eight full-page illustrations and handsome lithograph paper covers; 
price 25 cents. This story is written from and founded upon the suc- 
cessful play of the same title by H. V. Esmond, and will doubtless have 
a very large sale. The play is now being produced by four different 
companies, which will create a great demand for the story. 

NATHAN HALE. The Mattyr Spy. By Charles W. Brown,, 
12mo, 150 pages; illustrated; paper cover, 25 cents. This is a very inter" 
esting story of the Martyr Spy and covers one of the most interestinp' 
periods in American history. Every dealer should have a few copies of it 

RESURRECTION.~By Count Leo Tolstoi. 12mo, 550 pages, pj> 
per cover, 50 cents; cloth bounds $1.00. 



JUN 12 19C5 



OLD-TIME SONGS. 

This volume contains the words and music of choicest gema 
of the old and familiar songs we used to sing vrhen we weTe 
young. It has been arranged with great care and we have no 
hesitation in saying that it is the best book of the kind pub- 
lished. Read the following partial table of Contents. The 
book contains 130 songs besides the ones mentioned here and 
would cost $50 in sheet music form. 



^nnie Laurie. 
A.uld Lang Syne. 
Angel's Whisper, The. 
Black Eyed Susan. 
Billy Boy. 
Baby Mine. 
Bell Brandon. 
Bonnie Dundee. 
Ben Bolt. 

Bingen on the Ehine. 
Comrades. 

Comin' Thro' the Eye. 

Caller Herrin'. 

Do They Miss Me at Home ? 

Don't You Go, Tommy. 

Elee as a Bird. 

In the Gloaming. 

John Anderson, My Joe. 

Katie's Letter. 

Little Annie Rooney. 

Larboard Watch. 

Life on the Ocean W ave, A. 

Low Backed Car, The. 

MoUie, Put the Kettle On, 

Meet Me by Moonlight. 

Nancy Lee. 

O, Boys Carry Me 'Long. 
Oh! Susannah. 
Our Flag is There. 
Had I Wings Like a Dove. 
Old Oaken Bucket, The. 
O Come, Come Away. 
Rocked in the Cradle of the 
Deep. 

Rock Me to Sieep, Mother. 
Sparkling and Bright. 
There was an Old Woman. 



Willie, We Have Missed You. 

Wait for the Wagon. 

Oh Dear! What Can the Mat-= 
ter be. 

Oh Why do you Tease Me. 

Oh, Would I Were a Bird. 

Oh, Would I Were a Boy Again. 

Over the Garden Wall. 

Pilgrim Fathers, The. 

Pat Malloy. 

Pauper's Drive, The. 

Paddle Your Own Canoe, 

Robin Adair. 

Robinson Crusoe. 

Rose of AUaudale. 

Star Spangled Banner, The. 

Saint Patrick Was a Gentle- 
man. 

See Saw, Margery Daw. 
Sing a Song of Sixpence. 
See, the Conquering Hero 

Comes. 
Stop Dat Knockin'. 
Sally in Our Alley. 
Scots, What Ha'e Wi' Wallace 

Bled. 

Sword of Bunker Hill, The. 
Spider and the Fly, The. 
Shells of Ocean. 
Steal Away. 
Take Back the Heart. 
Three Fishers Went Sailing, 
Ten Little Niggers. 
'Tis the Last Rose of Summer 
Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay. 
Tliou Art Gone From My Gaze ; 



There is a Green Hill far Away.^ 
'Tis the Last Rose of Smnmer.There was a Jolly Miller. 

This book of 176 pages containing the above entire list of 
songs and many others, words and music, will be sent by mail 
postpaid upon receipt of price. Paper Cover, 25 cents. 



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